Is the Earth moving closer or further from the sun?

Answer 1

Josh has it backwards. Sure, moon and earth are slowing -- but that means the moon is moving AWAY from the earth and the earth is moving AWAY from the sun.

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=124

It's all moot. In five billion years or so, the sun will expand faster than the earth is moving outward.

Answer 2

If it was just the earth and the sun then the earth would move away from the sun very slowly due to tidal forces and the sun's rotation being faster than the earth's orbit (explained in the link in the most voted up answer).

But . . . with multiple planets, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter all exhibit similar tidal forces on the Sun than the earth does - it's a lot less simple than the moon/Earth equation. We're not sure if the earth is / will over tens of millions of years, move away from or move towards the sun. I think Away is the more likely bet, but I don't think it's certain. Venus being our closest neighbor could affect that. But it's nothing to worry about. Any movement of that sort is very small and will have very little near term impact.

Answer 3

It depends on the time of the year. Earth's orbit around the sun is an eclipse, not circle. So there will be time that Earth is a little closer to the sun and there will be time that Earth is further from the sun. That's what determines the climate in countries worldwide.

Answer 4

Hmm....! I am a bit confused scientists say that the universe is expanding but they have also eplained how sun attracts all the planets .Also it is said that the sun will have an supernova explosion & will turn into a white dwarf which should have extremely strong attraction power.So,till now it's a doubtful quetion.
As guess or as far as I know I think earth is moving closer to sun.

Answer 5

YOUR ANSWER IS RIGHT HERE.

Most of these answers address only 1/2 of what you need to know.

Here is your answer:
1. During the year, the Earth moves closer and farther from sun along an orbital path that is elliptical. Many people above me have told you that.
2. In ADDITION to that, we are slowly, very slowly, getting closer to the sun. This is because each year, the Earth encounters a tiny bit of friction from running into tiny meteors and astroids. This friction and the added mass (tiny, but there is some) of all those bits and pieces collecting in our atmosphere and on our surface, causes the Earth to get "heavier" and thus slows us down and causes us to, on average, move closer to the Sun.

This is happening to the Moon as well. The moon is getting closer to the Earth by about 1 inch per year.

Hope this helps you out.

Answer 6

It is moving further from the Sun. Since the Big Bang, the whole universe had been expanding, extending the distance between the Earth and the Sun, the Moon and other planets.

Answer 7

earths orbit and the suns pull mean earth is getting closer to the sun, and in about 3-5 billion years will be engulfed by the sun. but earths surface will become ravaged by heat way before that happens anyway.

Answer 8

Neither. The earth is in elliptical orbit around the sun. On part of the orbit, it is a little closer. On part of the orbit, it is a little farther away. The cycle repeats every year.

Answer 9

I think, since the sun is using up energy rapidly it expands .The sun is dying and we will get closer.If earth moves a little more than it is now we would all die.But that would take millions of years.You would be dead by then.Won't u?

Answer 10

Not only earth ,all the planets are moving away from the Sun.....and our moon moves very faster from earth.....and in near centuries,there will be no moon