how long does it take the earth to orbit the sun

how long does it take the earth to orbit the sun

1 month ago 46
Nature

The Earth takes approximately 365.25 days to complete one full orbit around the Sun. This period is known as a sidereal year and is about 365.256 days more precisely

. During this time, Earth travels an elliptical path around the Sun at an average distance of about 149.6 million kilometers (93 million miles), covering roughly 940 million kilometers in total

. The orbit is slightly elliptical with a small eccentricity of 0.0167, making it close to circular

. This orbital period is the basis for the calendar year, and because it is slightly longer than 365 days, an extra day is added every four years as a leap year to keep the calendar aligned with Earth's orbit

. In summary, Earth completes its orbit around the Sun in about 365.25 days, which defines the length of one year

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