Earth, our home, is the fifth largest planet in our Solar System, a magnificent sphere with a circumference of 40,070 km (24,898 miles) as precisely measured by orbiting spacecraft. Imagine embarking on a journey to circumnavigate this globe. How long would it actually take to fly around the world?
Its radius stretches 6,378 km (3,963 miles) from the center to the equator, giving it a diameter of 12,756 km (7,926 miles). It’s fascinating to note that these dimensions are specific to the equator. Earth isn’t a perfect sphere; it’s slightly flattened at the poles. The polar radius is a bit shorter, at 6,357km (3,950 miles).
Earth as seen from Apollo 10 mission in 1969, showcasing its spherical shape and cloud cover
For our global adventure, let’s follow the path of Phileas Fogg, the famous protagonist of “Around the World in Eighty Days,” and assume we’re traveling around Earth’s equator. To simplify things, we’ll imagine Earth as entirely solid ground, transforming the oceans, which cover 70% of our planet, into traversable terrain.
From Foot to Flight: Calculating Circumnavigation Time
While flying is our primary focus, let’s briefly consider other modes of transport to appreciate the speed of air travel.
Walking Around the World
Conceptual image of a person walking representing the long duration to walk around the Earth
If you decided to walk around the world at an average adult walking speed of 4.82 km/h (3 mph), it would take you approximately 8,313 hours and 20 minutes. That’s nearly a full year of continuous walking! Even if we consider speed walking, like that of world-record holder Yohann Diniz, who completed a 50km walk in 3 hours, 32 minutes, and 33 seconds, circumnavigating the Earth at that pace would still take around 2,839 hours. Considering the limits of human endurance and the need for sleep, walking isn’t the most efficient way to circle the globe.
Driving Around the World
If driving is your preferred ground transport, and you maintain a constant speed of 100 mph (160 kph) around the equator, it would take about 250 hours. While significantly faster than walking, it still requires considerable time and, of course, a planet-spanning network of roads!
Taking to the Skies: How Long to Fly Around the World
Now, let’s ascend into the skies and explore flight. Jules Verne’s character, Phileas Fogg, undertook his journey before the invention of airplanes. Today, commercial passenger planes cruise at speeds between 575-600 mph (925-965 km/h).
Modern commercial airplane in flight symbolizing efficient global travel
At these speeds, you could fly around the Earth in less than 42 hours. This dramatically reduces travel time compared to ground transportation, making global journeys far more accessible.
Breaking the Sound Barrier: Supersonic Flight
But what if we aimed to circle the Earth in under 24 hours? To achieve this, covering 40,070km in a single day necessitates a speed of 1,670 km/h. This speed is faster than the speed of sound, which is approximately 1,225 km/h (761.2 mph) according to NASA. Therefore, supersonic travel is required.
The NASA X-43, the fastest jet-powered aircraft ever built, reached speeds of Mach 9.3, or 9.3 times the speed of sound. That translates to an incredible 11,484 km/h (7,136 mph). At this velocity, you could travel around the world in just under 3.5 hours! However, the X-43s were unmanned experimental aircraft.
NASA X-43A hypersonic aircraft showcasing cutting-edge speed technology
A still-existing example is the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 ‘Foxbat’ fighter jet, capable of Mach 3.2. This would allow for circumnavigation in just over 10 hours.
The Ultimate Speed: Speed of Light
For a truly mind-boggling perspective, imagine traveling at the speed of light – 300,000 km per second (186,000 miles/sec). At this speed, you could circle the Earth not just once, but seven times in a single second! While currently beyond our technological reach for human travel, it illustrates the immense scale of our planet and the fascinating possibilities of speed.
Historic and Modern Circumnavigations
Jules Verne’s fictional journey inspired many real-world attempts at circumnavigation. However, voyages around the globe predate his novel.
Between 1577 and 1580, Sir Francis Drake completed a global voyage in 1,018 days, though his expedition had more to do with raiding than record-setting.
The current record for the fastest circumnavigation on foot is held by Serge Girard, who took 434 days to cover 26,245 km.
In aviation history, Concorde, the supersonic passenger airliner, made a historic flight around the Earth in 1995 in just 31 hours and 27 minutes, carrying passengers and crew.
Serge Girard, ultra-distance runner, embarking on his record-setting around-the-world run in Paris
Beyond our atmosphere, the International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth in approximately 90 minutes. This means astronauts on the ISS witness around 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours, experiencing multiple “circumnavigations” daily.
Orbital sunset from the International Space Station, a daily circumnavigation in space
And let’s not forget the Moon, our celestial neighbor, which completes its orbit around Earth, a form of circumnavigation, every 27.3 days.
From leisurely walks to supersonic jets and even the orbital paths of space stations, the time it takes to travel around the world varies enormously. Flying, especially at high speeds, offers the most practical and rapid way to experience a global journey, shrinking our planet and connecting us all in unprecedented ways.
