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