# If the earth stopped spinning.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 15, 2001, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459 "2001-08-15T22:50:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jstultz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/db5fbb/32.png) [@jstultz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jstultz)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/1 "2001-08-15T22:50:21Z")
Cecil says that we’d be stuck here more firmly than ever. However, if the earth stopped spinning suddenly, we’d all be launched to the east at about 800 mph, give or take a couple hundred depending on your latitude. This is because if the earth suddenly stopped spinning, we would be moving, and the earth would stop beneath us, and our momentum would result in us (and most other things) going THAT way, while the earth stayed _still_ ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/2 "2001-08-15T23:52:29Z")
A link to the column is appreciated. [What happens if the earth stops spinning?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a961122a.html) ---
**Author:** ![Evno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@Evno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evno)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2001, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/3 "2001-08-16T00:58:02Z")
Pretend we would be stuck in space wherever the planet is, and no one would be thrown off or whatever. Half the world would be in night, half in day. How long would it take for humans to perish? ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2001, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/4 "2001-08-16T13:11:13Z")
**jstultz** , that’s more or less true if the Earth were _suddenly_ to stop spinning, but notice that nowhere does Cecil or the question-asker throw in this qualifier. If the Earth _were_ to stop spinning, I’m inclined to think that it would do so rather gradually. ---
**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2001, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/5 "2001-08-16T18:37:44Z")
to go back to the suddenly stopping aspect (i know a sudden stop is improbable, but who cares): would some people or objects be thrown into space, or would they fly in the air only to be thrown back against the ground somewhere else on the earth do to gravity? or if you could time it just right, and the earth suddenly stopped and then suddenly started again, could you get some people to go into orbit around the earth? stupid questions, i know, but they intrigued me when i thought of them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/6 "2001-08-16T22:30:06Z")
I really don’t understand this idea that if the Earth were to stop turning, people would get thrown off. “Thrown off”? Where is this upwards force coming from? The only way you’d have a force pushing you up is if you were standing on the ground, and as long as you’re standing on the ground you’re not being thrown off, are you? But then again, I never figured out how cartoon characters could walk off cliffs and not fall until they looked down and realized that they weren’t standing on anything. I guess it’s the same physics at work. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/7 "2001-08-17T02:01:31Z")
Welcome to the SDMB, and thank you for posting your comment. Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the straight dope web site. To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in your post (make sure there is a space **before** and **after** the text of the URL). Cecil’s column can be found on-line at the link provided by **bibliophage**. * * * moderator, «[**Comments on Cecil’s Columns**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)» ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/8 "2001-08-17T04:49:52Z")
_If_ the Earth were spinning at about one rotation per hour, and you were on the equator, and it stopped spinning suddenly, you wouldn’t hit the ground, but go right over the horizon into orbit. Of course, if the Earth were spinning that fast, you would be launched anyway, with the Earth still spinning underneath you. Then again, the Earth couldn’t spin that fast without breaking apart. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/9 "2001-08-17T06:26:51Z")
Into orbit? No no no, **jonfromdenver** , 1000 MPH is not fast enough to launch you into orbit. You’d fall back to the ground because of gravity. You probably wouldn’t even travel all that far. However, **The Ryan** , if you got launched fast enough, then you _could_ go into orbit. You’d have to have a speed more like 25,000 MPH, which is the escape speed of Earth at the surface. This is what **CurtC** is talking about. You’re right that there would be no upward force, but since the Earth is curved, if you kept going in (more or less) a straight line, you would soon be high above the ground. ---
**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/10 "2001-08-17T07:39:39Z")
yes, i know that wouldn’t be fast enough, but i was just trying to consider whether the orbit thing would even be possible. > [@](#): > > _originally posted by Achernar_ > You’re right that there would be no upward force, but since the Earth is curved, if you kept going in (more or less) a straight line, you would soon be high above the ground. i believe that this is totally correct. so another obstacle for the orbit thing would even be having a straight line for one’s body to travel through without it hitting something, so i assume that most of us would just be plastered to our living room walls. ---
**Author:** ![Falafel\_Waffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@Falafel\_Waffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falafel_Waffle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/11 "2001-08-17T14:12:54Z")
I think something was missed. If the Earth were to stop spinning, what would happen to the weather? Jet streams and the like? No longer is the planet rushing through it’s blanket of atmosphere. And what about the oceans and continents? Would plates still slip? Would it increase? would the crust buckle!? I HAVE TO KNOW THESE THINGS! :eek: I mean, what if it were to happen tomorrow? I need to get my world-stopped-spinning kit together. I have my food-riots kit and my nukes-are-falling-head-to-the-hills kit as well as my Britney-spears-turned-out-to-be-a-guy kit. 🙂 And another question! Would you want to live in the terminator zone? I don’t know what it’s called but ya’ know, the area where the sun is perpetually about to rise? Just under the horizon… I’m sure Mercury has one and there is a proper scientific name for this area, but I am too lazy to Google for it. All I know is, I want to own the property in this area! Cha-Ching! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2001, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/12 "2001-08-17T15:48:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > However, **The Ryan** , if you got launched fast enough, then you _could_ go into orbit. But it this scenario, you’re not being launched at all. Your velocity does not change. Granted, your velocity _relative to Earth_ increases, but that doesn’t reflect any real change in velocity. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/13 "2001-08-18T00:31:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Falafel Waffle \* > **And another question! Would you want to live in the terminator zone? I don’t know what it’s called but ya’ know, the area where the sun is perpetually about to rise? Just under the horizon… I’m sure Mercury has one…** Sorry, [Mercury](http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/mercury.html) does rotate: > [@](#): > > Until 1962 it was thought that Mercury’s “day” was the same length as its “year” so as to keep that same face to the Sun much as the Moon does to the Earth. But this was shown to be false in 1965 by doppler radar observations. It is now known that Mercury rotates three times in two of its years. Mercury is the only body in the solar system known to have an orbital/rotational resonance with a ratio other than 1:1. So Mercury has no “twilight zone.” I want to know what would happen to the Moon if the Earth stopped rotating suddenly? ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/14 "2001-08-18T07:29:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evno \* > \*\*Pretend we would be stuck in space wherever the planet is, and no one would be thrown off or whatever. Half the world would be in night, half in day. How long would it take for humans to perish? \*\* Technically, if the earth stopped spinning, our nights would be 4383 hours long, or so. ---
**Author:** ![ss138](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@ss138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ss138)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/15 "2001-08-18T08:02:15Z")
it may be safe to say that the only srvivers would be those engaged in bungee jumping at the instant that the earth stopped spinning ---
**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/16 "2001-08-18T20:33:17Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by ss138_ > it may be safe to say that the only srvivers would be those engaged in bungee jumping at the instant that the earth stopped spinning not only is this true to an extent, but it’s also frickin hilarious! great post. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![audient](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@audient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audient)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/17 "2001-08-20T21:53:37Z")
re: being launched at 1000 mph but the launching experience wouldn’t be ‘up’, it would be due east - seemingly parallel to the ground, but actually tangent to the earth. So if you had any warning whatsoever, you’d want to make sure you had a good, long view in that direction. 🙂 I suggest somewhere along the eastern seaboard while wearing waterskis. here’s an interesting problem - assuming you don’t become the new door knocker for the office building across the street, how far would you sail, given wind resistance. and in that distance, how far would the earth’s curvature result in the ground falling ‘below’ you? or would gravity’s tug keep you from gaining any real altitude? on further thought, maybe you can ignore the effects of wind resistance. if the sudden stop of the earth sent you careening, i have to assume the atmosphere would be rolling right along with you. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/18 "2001-08-21T02:16:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by audient \* > \*\*on further thought, maybe you can ignore the effects of wind resistance. if the sudden stop of the earth sent you careening, i have to assume the atmosphere would be rolling right along with you. \*\* Rolling is right. I would envision horizontal tornadoes, and hurricanes and tsunamis. ---
**Author:** ![audient](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@audient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audient)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/19 "2001-08-21T02:56:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RM Mentock \* > \*\*Rolling is right. I would envision horizontal tornadoes, and hurricanes and tsunamis. \*\* ok, waterskis _and a raincoat_!! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459/20 "2001-08-21T17:49:15Z")
1000 MPH is (fortunately) much less than circular orbital velocity at the Earth’s surface, so the ground would not fal away at all. If it did, you’d already be in orbit, since you’re already going that fast. Don’t think a “launch”, think the mother of all car crashes. We’re also talking at least an order of magnitude or so greater than a bungie cord would be able to handle. I wouldn’t exactly trust water skis at that speed, either. Folks in aircraft, however, might survive, if the pilot keeps his head and is able to keep the plane aloft until the winds die down some (not sure how long that would take). Of course, anyone in orbit at the time would have no problem. The oceans and atmosphere would both continue to move, but probably not uniformly; you’d see some monster eddy currents and tsunamis, so even a good pilot might be challanged a bit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-earth-stopped-spinning/76459.md?page=2)