The Moon's orbit doesn't spiral around Earth as most peop... | funfact.wiki | funfact.wiki
The Moon's orbit doesn't spiral around Earth as most people imagine. Because the Earth-Moon distance is tiny compared to the Earth-Sun distance, the Moon's actual path through space is nearly circular, traveling alongside Earth around the Sun.
Earth has 365 days in a year, but actually rotates 366 times. The extra rotation comes from its orbit around the Sun — an example of the coin rotation paradox.
In Greek mythology, Artemis was the goddess of both the moon and childbirth. When a child was born, Greeks offered round cakes shaped like the moon to thank Artemis — believed to be the origin of eating cake on birthdays.
Earth's closest planet on average isn't Venus but Mercury. Bigger orbits spend longer on the far side of the Sun, so average distance grows. Mercury's tiny orbit keeps it near every planet. Earth–Mercury averages 1.04 AU, Earth–Venus 1.14 AU. The "Whirly Dirly Corollary."