Earth's speed around the universe

It's hard to imagine that as we sit still reading this, the earth is hurtling at unimaginable speeds in various directions in the emptiness of space.

Sound at sea level travels at 760 mph [miles per hour]. A bullet exits the muzzle at 1,000 mph. In comparison:

• at the equator, the earth rotates at 1,040 mph;
• the earth orbits the sun at 67,000 mph;
• the solar system orbits the Milky Way at 490,000 mph;
• Milky Way 'falls' into the nearest galaxy, Andromeda, at 180,000 mph; &
• the Local Group moves within the Local Supercluster at 540,000 mph.

Various sources give different values by the way. Here's another one.

So what do we make out of all these? We shall soon see (hopefully).

[Image above used per GNU Free Doc. License; see text.]

Related post: How fast are you moving when you are sitting still?
Related post: CMBR Dipole: Speeding Through the Universe

Technorati Tags: Andromeda, cosmology, earth speed, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Milky Way, universe, Virgo Supercluster

Comments

[Antonio Saraiva]

I think that Earth orbits the universe at light speed.

[Bill Callen]

I've heard the statement that all galaxies are moving away from one another at ever increasing speed. If that was true then how could two galaxies crash into one another as it is stated about the andromeda galaxy and the milky way galaxy? It would seem that these two statements cannot both be true and I've never heard anyone explain this dichotomy. Anyone comment?