Asked by: Andrew Robertson
Yes – but only in theory. The Earth is roughly 40,000km in circumference at the equator, and completes one rotation every 24 hours. This means that the Sun effectively zooms across the face of the Earth at the equator at around 1,700km/h. So you’d have to travel at least this fast to stay in daylight. But that’s around 1.5 times the speed of sound – and twice as fast as a conventional passenger plane.
In theory, a supersonic jet could manage it, but even then in-flight refuelling and speed restrictions over land would reduce the effective speed well below what’s needed. Not even Concorde managed it.
In August 1995, it achieved its fastest-ever circumnavigation of the Earth, and it still took more than 31 hours.
Read more:
- Is it possible to run along the top of a moving train?
- Is it possible for sound to be turned into electricity?
Subscribe to BBC Science Focus Magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun facts.
