If the Earth stopped spinning suddenly, the atmosphere would still be in motion with the Earth’s original 1100 mile per hour rotation speed at the equator. This means rocks, topsoil, trees, buildings, your pet dog, and so on, would be swept away into the atmosphere.

At the Equator, the earth’s rotational motion is at its fastest, about a thousand miles an hour. If that motion suddenly stopped, the momentum would send things flying eastward. Moving rocks and oceans would trigger earthquakes and tsunamis. The still-moving atmosphere would scour landscapes.

As we move from the equator to the poles, the distance of the point of surface of earth from the centre of earth decreases. Hence, the acceleration due to gravity increases. Variation in acceleration due to gravity will be accordingly changed.

The centrifugal force at the equator is only 1/289 of normal gravity, or 0.35%. That’s too small to be perceived. It gradually diminishes as you move away from the equator, and becomes zero at the poles. In any case, if Earth stopped rotating, the added weight at the equator would be the least of your worries.

Astronauts need space suits to stay alive. You could only last 15 seconds without a spacesuit — you’d die of asphyxiation or you’ll freeze. If there’s any air left in your lungs, they will rupture. See more stories on Insider’s business page.

In space, astronauts lose fluid volume—including up to 22% of their blood volume. Upon return to earth, the blood begins to pool in the lower extremities again, resulting in orthostatic hypotension.”