By Alexander Merz · Published on · Details checked on 8 October 2026
Quick answer: At the equator, the Earth’s surface rotates at around 1,670 km/h. In Germany (about 50° latitude) it is still around 1,070 km/h – faster than an airliner.
Why don’t we feel any of it?
For the same reason you can calmly drink coffee at 300 km/h on a high-speed train: the speed is constant. Everything around us – the air, the oceans, ourselves – rotates along with it. Only a change in speed would be noticeable.
The rotation still gives itself away indirectly: through day and night, the flattening of the Earth, the Coriolis effect (the direction low-pressure systems spin) and the famous Foucault pendulum.
Which way does the Earth turn? From west to east
The Earth spins from west to east – seen from above the North Pole, anticlockwise. That is why the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and the Moon and stars do the same.
For stargazers it also means that the sky appears to turn around the North Star – once every roughly 23 hours 56 minutes (sidereal day). The Earth also orbits the Sun in the same direction, so anticlockwise when seen from the north.
Exceptions in the solar system: Venus spins backwards, from east to west – there the Sun would rise in the west, but only about once every 117 Earth days. Uranus rotates almost lying on its side (axial tilt about 98°); all the other planets spin like the Earth.
On top of that: we are racing through space
| Motion | Speed |
|---|---|
| Earth’s rotation (equator) | approx. 1,670 km/h |
| Earth around the Sun | approx. 107,000 km/h |
| Solar system around the centre of the Milky Way | approx. 800,000 km/h |
| Milky Way relative to the background radiation | approx. 2.2 million km/h |
There is no standing still in the cosmos – the only question is always: moving relative to what? More on the big picture in our article about the Milky Way.
The rotation is slowing down
The Moon’s tidal friction brakes the Earth minimally: a day lengthens by just under 2 milliseconds per century. In the age of the dinosaurs a day was only about 23 hours long. Occasional leap seconds compensate for the difference with atomic time. The most visible effect for photographers: star trails – even 30 seconds of exposure draw stars into streaks; how to use or avoid this is shown in our introduction to astrophotography.
Frequently asked questions
How fast does the Earth spin in Germany?
About 1,070 km/h – the rotation speed decreases with latitude (cosine factor) and is zero at the poles.
Why don’t we fly off the Earth?
Gravity is around 290 times stronger than the centrifugal force of the rotation, even at the equator.
What would happen if the Earth suddenly stopped?
Everything not anchored down would be flung onwards at over 1,000 km/h – a global disaster. Fortunately it is physically impossible.
Does the Earth always spin at the same speed?
Almost – earthquakes, melting glaciers and currents change the length of the day by milliseconds; in the long term the Moon slows the rotation.