OT: Heliocentrism

[watanabe]

Neither the Earth nor the Moon revolve around the other. Both the Earth and the Moon revolve (mostly*) around their common center of mass, also known as the barycenter, which lies 1700 kilometers (1000+ miles) beneath the Earth's surface on a line between the Earth's center of mass and the Moon's center of mass. See the video here.

In the same way, the Earth/Moon system and Sun revolve around a common center of mass, though the huge disparity in mass means the common mass is 456 kilometers (about 300 miles) from the Sun's center of mass.

"mostly" because of the confounding effects of the masses of every other object in the Universe.

No offense intended, but it sounds like you have drunk the coolaid. I mean you read that right? and you believe it because...?

 

[JRRRJ]

No offense intended, but it sounds like you have drunk the coolaid. I mean you read that right? and you believe it because...?

...I'm a mathematician, and I believe ellipses before I'll believe epicycles -- the math is easier ;^)

 

[Icebear]

Neither the Earth nor the Moon revolve around the other. Both the Earth and the Moon revolve (mostly*) around their common center of mass, also known as the barycenter, which lies 1700 kilometers (1000+ miles) beneath the Earth's surface on a line between the Earth's center of mass and the Moon's center of mass. See the video here.

In the same way, the Earth/Moon system and Sun revolve around a common center of mass, though the huge disparity in mass means the common center is 456 kilometers (about 300 miles) from the Sun's center of mass.

"mostly" because of the confounding effects of the masses of every other object in the Universe.

Very true and I suppose I should have said that but in the simplicity of the question I focused on the simplest demonstration I could think of. The experiment or demonstration would demonstrate that same thing. It does mean, however, that as they revolve around that center the moon does still circumnavigate the earth and the earth circumnavigates the sun. The sum total of all shifting gravitational forces leads to wobble of the sun around the center of mass which is within its circumference but off its central axis.

 

[meyers7]

I saw once on an episode of The Newlywed Game, they asked "In your neighborhood does the sun come up in the north, south east or west?" 3 of the 4 women missed it. That astonished me, so I've asked many women over the years that question. Pretty much 75% of them either miss it, or say "I don't know directions."

So yea, I can believe that many people don't know that the earth orbits the sun.

 

[HuskyNan]

...I'm a mathematician, and I believe ellipses before I'll believe epicycles -- the math is easier ;^)

I was wondering when you'd weigh in on this thread.... Right in your wheelhouse.

 

[Zorro]

Well epicycles USED to seem like a really good idea. So did the idea that angels were pushing the planets around in their orbits.