How fast do you have to fly to stay at sunset all the time?

[Bignugget 0]

Driving home tonight the question came to me.

Can you fly around the world at a specific speed so that the setting sun stays at the same point on the horizon?

Intuitively I would say yes, if I can fly fast enough that I get back to the start 24 hours later, it should work right?

So the circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,901.55 miles.

So if I can get a plane that flies 1037.565 MPH I can do it.


Thoughts?

[quade 4]

It entirely depends on your latitude.

Nobody says you have to do it at the equator.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Calvin19 0]

http://what-if.xkcd.com/42/

-SPACE-

[hcsvader 1]

just go up to alaska for the summer. you can just sit there and enjoy the never ending sunset.

Have you seen my pants?
it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream
>:)

[JerryBaumchen 1,468]

Hi Big,

Yup, that would be about correct. But if you were to fly at a 1,000 ft then you would have to go a little faster.

As a rule of thumb, a time zone is ~ 1,000 miles wide at the equator.

JerryBaumchen