 The Moon and Earth orbit a common barycenter every 27 @.@ 32 days relative to the background stars . When combined with the Earth – Moon system 's common orbit around the Sun , the period of the synodic month , from new moon to new moon , is 29 @.@ 53 days . Viewed from the celestial north pole , the motion of Earth , the Moon , and their axial rotations are all counterclockwise . Viewed from a vantage point above the north poles of both the Sun and Earth , Earth orbits in a counterclockwise direction about the Sun . The orbital and axial planes are not precisely aligned : Earth 's axis is tilted some 23 @.@ 4 degrees from the perpendicular to the Earth – Sun plane ( the ecliptic ) , and the Earth – Moon plane is tilted up to ± 5 @.@ 1 degrees against the Earth – Sun plane . Without this tilt , there would be an eclipse every two weeks , alternating between lunar eclipses and solar eclipses . 
