The Planet Quiz Show  



Answer:   93,000,000 miles

A jet aircraft flying nonstop at 500 miles per hour would take over 21 years to reach the sun on a one way trip. Because the Earth’s orbit is slightly oval in shape, the Earth-sun distance changes by approximately three million miles during the period of a year. The closest the Earth gets to the sun is about 91,500,000 miles. Earth’s farthest distance is 94,500,00 miles.



[Earth's elliptical orbit]
This is a very accurate drawing of the Earth’s orbital path around the sun. From the sketch, you should be able to determine the season in which Earth is closest to the sun. The answer might surprise you. You may actually have to make measurements on the computer screen. This would really make an excellent bonus question, don’t you think? Gary A. Becker drawing...

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