how do we know the earth sun distance
The first step in measuring the distance between the Earth and the Sun is to measure the distance between Earth and another planet in terms of the distance between Earth and the Sun. So, let us assume that the distance between Earth and the Sun is a.Now, let us consider the orbit of Venus.To first approximation, the orbits of Earth and Venus are perfect circles around the Sun. Take a look at the diagram below (not to scale).nyway, the relevant numbers are: Earth-Sun distance, d = roughly 150 million km (defined as 1 Astronomical Unit). Radius of the Sun, R sun = roughly 700,000 km. Orbital speed of Earth, v = roughly 30 km/s. References: 1  Great Moments in the History of Solar Physics 1.