Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains the Earth's Rotation

We know the Earth rotates…but why can’t we feel it? On this StarTalk explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice investigate centrifugal force and the Earth’s rotation.

What is centrifugal force? Well, if you’ve been on a carnival ride, you probably know. However, Neil tells us why there is really no such thing as centrifugal force. Find out why you weigh less when you’re closer to the equator.

You’ll learn what speed Earth has to be rotating so that the centrifugal force balances out the gravitational force causing you to hover just above the surface in what Chuck calls “super-low Earth orbit.” All that, plus, Chuck uses this to invent a new diet.

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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[LaBelleTML]

The rotation of Earth really makes my day.

[onlythebestentertainment]

I still love how excited Dr Tyson gets when he talks on any subject. He draws me in and im mesmerized every time. jim NYC

[jimr]

Obviously, I love Neil. But I really love Chuck a lot too. He's always funny (him saying his mother is Ricky Ricardo legitimately made me laugh out loud) but the intelligence he displays in every episode that he's on really just impresses me. Also, idk if I'm just worse than average but his memory always astonishes me too. So often Neal will be explaining something and Chuck accurately shouts out some scientific something or another that he learned on some episode from years ago. I forget what I lean each episode damn near as soon as it ends lol. I just like him a lot.

[jasonbone]

I can't believe I have to correct Neil like this but here goes. Santa does indeed start his sleigh ride skinny as you stated. But remember, as he adds on the pounds from all the cookies, he's off loading pounds of toys. By the end of his trip, the sleigh has no toys, so the reindeer see no difference in their work load due to Santa adding on all the pounds from cookies and milk.

[Faluthe]

I like how Neil explains complex concepts is such a humorous manner. Great lessons

[TheSec]

Such inspiring the words at the end of the video: "Keep looking up!" as in, look at the sky but also evolve, improve yourself, become a better person.

[MarkB-vpki]

I'm not fat, I just live too far from the equator.

[VvSlaveofMetalvV]

I think a common misconception about the moment in the Superman movie that many people have not considered is that Superman did not physically reverse the rotation of the earth by flying around it so hard and so fast that he actually affected the rotation. It isn't explained with any sort of explicit in-film explication, so it is just my assumption, but I think what was really happening is that he was traveling faster than light, and traveling so fast that he began to travel back in time.

This is displayed in the film as the earth slowing, and then reversing, and the filmmaker even shows previously shot footage literally rewinding and being undone. So, as stated, the earth was not actually being slowed down, it was just the movie's way of rewinding through time.

That opens a whole can of worms about time travel as it relates to traveling faster than light and I'd probably be just as fascinated to hear you talk about that particular subject, but I did think that the above theory was worth positing to you and hopefully it will change your opinion of the film itself as well as the potential scientific questions surrounding it.

[samanthaheart]

I wish Neil was my teacher at school my life would be so different now, he has brought back my need to learn

[nothgiel]

If Neil was my science teacher in school..I would have been a great scientist m...He explains things so simple..

[IansUToob]

One of the best explainers i've seen so far! Learned a ton! And Chuck was having some of his best funnies; kept the whole thing so light! :D

[PremierCCGuyMMXVI]

Listening to what Dr. Tyson has to say just blew my mind. Even the most simple topics are interesting.

[TC-xegx]

“If you’re chubby on the equator, you’re chubby everywhere” 😂😂

[TheSaferHouse]

I stayed up all night wondering where the sun went... and then it dawned on me.

[NickAllPlay]

This is brillant. The only thing is, would love less interruptions when Neil is in the middle of an explanation.

[ProfRonconi]

These videos are so instructive and so entertaining, I just cannot praise them enough. So many thanks to Chuck and Neil. Only one complaint: you don't do a video every day, or better, every hour.

[sadiqmohamed]

I remember doing the math for this about 30 years ago when I started travelling regularly to and from the US. Someone had spotted that if you took the take off time and added or subtracted the flight time (depending on whether you were flying east or west) you did not get the actual time at your destination. Off course I first had to work out the correction for the fact that the aircraft flew on a great circle. Luckily by that time I had a Macintosh to do the calculations for me! Of course Concorde had another issue which was that it was flying about 50% faster than the rotation. At the time I didn't think about the weight thing. That was interesting to hear about. Neil is a fascinating explainer.

There was a great BBC Science documentary called "Orbit" in which Dr Helen Czerski and Kate Humble explained about the Coriolis Force effecting the major wind systems. Warm air rises at the equator and as the Earth rotates it move North East or South South East, cools, falls to sea level and keeps moving Eastward. At sea level this shows up as the Trade Winds. Humble did a demo by parachuting from about 15K feet above Arizona with a GPS tracker. They had picked a day with almost no wind and sure enough her track moved Eastward.

[jakethetool]

I’m under the impression that listening to Dr Tyson speak, can be so enlightening, a person can suddenly find themselves elevated to the point of drifting away with new thoughts to consider.

[Vinithajee]

The way Neil breaks down these concepts into something that everyone can understand is amazing.

[watcher]

The ride was called "Gravitron" when i was a kid.😀