Standing here in the library, you are being still and quiet.
In reality we are all spinning with the Earth at approximately 1,000 miles per hour!
This image was exposed for one hour and is what 1,000 miles of the Earth's rotation looks like.
We are all space travelers!
Just as the Sun moves through the sky, the stars do too!
This is all due to the counter-clockwise rotation of the Earth. Think of the Earth as a 360 degree circle and divide that by the 24 hours that it takes the Earth to make a single rotation. The result is a movement of 15 degrees per hour in a huge arc across the sky from East to West.
Hold out your hand at arm’s length and spread out your index finger and little finger as far as you can (like a wide hook ‘em). That's about 15 degrees and 1 hour of star travel in the sky!
See more from timeanddate.com by clicking on the button below.
Next compare the image below to the one at the top of this page: the top one is a 1 hour exposure and the bottom one is a 20 minute exposure. Notice anything?
You can observe the difference in the length of the star trails, that’s the rotation of the Earth!
20 minutes of shooting
Experiment!
Go outside and align a star to a landmark nearby such as a post or tower.
Observe how the star slowly moves over time.
Follow the link below to learn more about measuring distance in the sky yourself!