How true is it that the earth goes around the sun?

Apparently, 1 in 5 Americans believes that the sun goes around the earth (nytimes.com/2005/08/30/science/30profile...), which presumably makes the other 4 role their eyes smugly. But my question (asked purely in the spirit of tossing out a bone for Askvillers to gnaw on in these lean times) is this: in the absence of any fixed universal coordinates, who's to say what's "going around" what? In other words, how can you judge the movement of two bodies relative to each other without a "fixed" point of reference?

In a universe of bodies all moving with relation to each other, what would that "fixed" point of reference be? Granted that the Copernican paradigm makes it easier to explain the erratic paths of the other planets as viewed from Earth, but is that its sole claim to truth? Asked by HarpOnMe 48 months ago Similar Questions: true earth sun Recent Questions About: true earth sun Science > Space & Astronomy.

Similar Questions: true earth sun Recent Questions About: true earth sun.

Very. No matter what coordinate system you use, the earth and planets orbit the sun. Yes, the sun is in motion, but that motion is an orbit of the galaxy, not a mutual orbit of the sun and planets.

Strictly speaking, the path of the planets thru space viewed from above the plane of the ecliptic would show the planets moving in a spiral. Because the sun would be moving. No such path would be possible from that vantage point unless the planets were orbiting the sun.

Take any point of reference you want (say on earth) and look at the position of the planets over time. The only hypothesis that explains these observations is that the planets (including earth) orbit the sun. In each of these points of reference the only hypothesis that would explain the observations of the planets would be that the planets orbit the sun.

Heliocentrism is not only supported by observations of the position of planets from the earth, but by every interplanetary probe that has ever been launched. All of the projected paths for these probes have been based on the hypothesis that the planets orbit the sun. If that hypothesis was wrong, the probes would not have arrived where and when they were calculated to arrive.

That they did arrive where and when calculated thus means another test (and more supporting data) for heliocentrism. There are other data supporting heliocentrism, but these two should be enough to show just how well supported the theory is. So supported that we rightly accept it as (provisionally) true and a fact.

Gravity decides In the case of inertial motion (where there are no forces acting on anything), motion really is relative. You can pick any reference frame and say that it's as good as any other. Two objects can be moving, or you can pick one and say it's not moving and the other is.

But orbits aren't inertial. They happen only because there's a force acting at each instant, causing acceleration. Those forces are equal and opposite: the Sun pulls on the Earth, and the Earth also pulls on the sun.

If you want to get very precise, they're both actually orbiting some point between the two called the "barycenter". The formula for the barycenter (from the center of the heavier object) is: d/(1+m1/m2) where d is the distance between the two objects, and m1 is the larger mass, and m2 is the smaller one. Since the Sun outweighs the Earth by a factor of 300,000 or so, that point is a LOT closer to the Sun than to the Earth.

In fact, the point is inside the sun, about 450 km or 300 miles above the center of the sun. Since the sun is over 400,000 miles across, we just say that the earth orbits the sun. If you observe the sun with very, very precise telescopes you can actually observe that very, very tiny amount of wobble of 1 part in 1,000.

That so small that nobody cares, as long as you're not trying to land a probe on Mercury or Mars. Then you have to do the hard math (which, on occasion, they botch). Sources: Isaac Newton, et al .

For a point sufficiently distant, it can be used as a fixed reference for the time spans we are talking about. Stars and galaxies parsecs away do not move appreciably to be seen as moving from this distance and can be used as reference points to determine what celectial bodies are moving, and at what rate and vector. Schelli's Recommendations Physics For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science)) Amazon List Price: $19.99 Used from: $11.20 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 12 reviews) Physics Workbook For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science)) Amazon List Price: $19.99 Used from: $11.21 Average Customer Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (based on 2 reviews) Einstein For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science)) Amazon List Price: $19.99 Used from: $9.99 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 8 reviews) .

Fixed universal coordinates When Einstein formed his famous relativity theorems, which are now considered laws, no known fixed universal coordinates were known. Since then, however, we have the microwave background radiation and this does provide the fixed coordinates needed. With this help as well as basic observation, there is no doubt but that the planetary bodies are all revolving around the sun and that their moons revolve around them.

The microwave background radiation has allowed us to determine the absolute motion of the earth, the sun (as it goes around the galaxy), and the motion of our galaxy through space. Martin Harwit, in his book, Astrophysical Concepts, says on page 178, "It is interesting that the presence of this radiation field the cosmic microwave background radiation allows us to determine an absolute rest frame on the basis of a local measurement. Such a frame would in no way violate the validity of special relativity which, as stated earlier, does not distinguish between different inertial frames.

Rather, the establishment of this absolute rest frame emphasizes the fact that special relativity is really only meant to deal with small scale phenomena, and that phenomena on larger scales allow us to determine a preferred frame of reference in which cosmic processes look isotropic. " .

Simple The Sun is about seven bazillion times heavier than the Earth. For the Sun to rotate around the Earth would require that there be some pretty humungous force pushing the Sun around the Earth. As for fixed universal coordinates, the faraway stars make a pretty good reference.

In any short time frame, say less than 10,000 years, they're effectively stuck in place.

Right now the Earth's crust is collapsing under the wreckage of the oil rig. " "Do you agree that whoever controls space will control earth" "If, "With God everything is possible", can we MOVE THE PLANET EARTH farther away from the Sun ( with prayer? )?

" "On Earth something red and hot means it's close; in Astronomy red means distant and cool. Why?

How long does the space station take to orbit the earth.

Right now the Earth's crust is collapsing under the wreckage of the oil rig.

Do you agree that whoever controls space will control earth.

On Earth something red and hot means it's close; in Astronomy red means distant and cool. Why?

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.