Suppose the sun, including its gravity, suddenly disappeared.

Q: Which of the following statements best describes the subsequent motion of the earth?

a. The earth would continue moving in a straight line tangent to its original direction, but would gradually slow down
b. The earth would speed up because the sun's gravity would not be able to slow it down.
c. The earth would continue moving in a straight line tangent to its original direction and would not change its speed
d. The earth would move directly outward with constant speed away from the sun's original position