Science News: Earth is not revolving around Sun, the world is surprised by this revelation of NASA
Earth & Sun's surprising dance! New details on their shared motion
Science News: NASA reveals Earth is not revolving around Sun, shocking the world with this unexpected discovery about planetary motion.
All people are aware that Earth revolves around Sun, resulting in days and nights. However, reality is distinct from a scientific standpoint. NASA claims that Earth doesn’t absolutely revolve around sun.
NASA notes that based on Earth’s current orbital velocity inside the solar system, it appears that Earth is not currently circling around the sun. Jupiter is 1,048 times less in weight than sun, which is largest body in our solar system. Furthermore, Earth’s gravitational attraction on any celestial object is equal to or less than that of object.
Earth and other planets actually revolve around a shared center of mass called barycenter, which is not precisely at the center of the sun, due to the intricate interaction of gravitational forces. It would be more true to state that Earth and the sun revolve around this shared center of mass, even if it looks that Earth revolves around the sun.
There’s a surprising twist in how we understand Earth’s movement.
Key Points:
- Earth is constantly moving along its orbit.
- Scientists characterize the barycenter concept, which is the center of mass of a system of objects arranged or moving in orbits.
- Given the fact that Earth is much less massive than the Sun, one would naturally expect the barycenter to be at the Sun’s center. In reality it’s situated outside of Sun.
- Sun’s gravity is main to the Earth-to-Sun-connection, which is why the barycenter, actually, is closer to the Sun than you might have expected.
- By calculation, it is barycenter that revolves around both Earth and Sun.
It is a small variation, but it is a good proof of the fact that gravity operates in two ways. However, it remains sure that the Earth’s revolution around the Sun is the event that triggers us seasons and also a year, and we can’t change that fact.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Common Perception | Earth revolves around the Sun, resulting in days and nights. |
| Scientific Reality | NASA claims Earth doesn’t strictly revolve around the Sun. |
| Orbital Dynamics | Based on Earth’s current orbital velocity in the solar system, it appears Earth is not currently circling around the Sun. |
| Jupiter’s Influence | Jupiter is 1,048 times less massive than the Sun, yet has significant gravitational influence. |
| Gravitational Forces | Earth’s gravitational pull on celestial objects is equal to or less than that of the objects themselves. |
| Barycenter Concept | Earth and other planets revolve around a shared center of mass, the barycenter, which is not exactly at the Sun’s center due to gravitational interactions. |
| Earth-Sun Relationship | Earth and the Sun revolve around this shared barycenter, not directly around each other. |
| Kepler’s Third Law | Demonstrates a connection between the masses and orbits of two objects in orbit around one another. |
| Star Example | In a small star orbiting a larger star, both stars revolve around a shared center of mass, the barycenter. |
| Relevance to Earth | Earth thus revolves around a barycenter rather than the Sun directly. |
| Barycenter Location | The barycenter is usually near the Sun but is rarely inside the Sun due to its bulk and the gravitational pull of large planets like Jupiter and Saturn. It is currently outside the Sun. |
| Orbit Explanation | James O’Donoghue, planetary astronomer and science communicator, explains that while we say planets orbit the Sun, they actually orbit a point in space influenced by Jupiter’s gravity. Scientists aim to clarify this concept. |
Acceleration in Orbit
- Newton’s First Law: Planets continue in motion unless acted upon by an external force.
- Circular Orbits: Because of Newton’s second law, planets orbit in almost round patterns rather than in straight lines.
- Centripetal Acceleration: A planet suffers centripetal acceleration as it travels around its orbit, which pushes it in direction of its center of mass.
- Gravitational Force: A planet’s orbit around Sun is maintained by gravitational pull of Sun, which also supplies centripetal acceleration required for planet’s circular motion.
Kepler’s Laws:
Kepler’s First Law:
- Shape of Orbits: Every planet follows an elliptical orbit around Sun, with Sun at one focus.
- Cometary Paths: This law also applies to comets; those on hyperbolic paths will only pass by the Sun once unless they are deflected by a planet.
Kepler’s Second Law:
- A line segment that connects a planet to Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal amounts of time.
- Orbital Velocity: While moving faster when nearer the Sun and slower when farther away, objects in orbit cover the same ground in the same amount of time.
Kepler’s Third Law:
- Orbital Period and Distance: A planet’s semi-major axis cube & its orbital period are exactly proportionate.
- Predictive Power: This law is essential for understanding celestial motions since it makes predictions about a planet’s orbital period depending on that planet’s distance from the Sun.
According to NASA, Kepler’s third rule shows a connection between masses and orbits of two objects that are in orbit around one another. When thinking about a small star circling a larger star, for example: one generally assumes that the small star orbits the larger star.
In reality, though, barycenter (a shared center of mass) is the center of rotation for both stars. This is valid regardless of objects’ masses or sizes. Earth thus revolves around a barycenter rather than the Sun directly.
This barycenter is usually near the Sun in our solar system. However, the barycenter is rarely found inside the Sun itself because of the Sun’s bulk and gravitational pull of big planets like Jupiter and Saturn. It is actually outside the Sun right now.
Although we usually refer to planets as orbiting the Sun, planetary astronomer and science communicator James O’Donoghue explains that, in reality, planets actually orbit a point in space that is not the Sun due to the immense Jupiter’s gravitational pull. Scientists are working hard to provide a practical and correct explanation of this idea.
Right Now Where is the barycentre?
The barycentre or the center of mass of the solar system, is currently located outside the Sun. This means that Earth, along with the other planets, is not orbiting the Sun directly but rather a point in space. This might seem surprising since we commonly think of planets as orbiting the Sun itself.
James O’Donoghue, a planetary astronomer and science communicator, clarifies this by saying, “Planets orbit the Sun in general terms, but technically they don’t orbit the Sun alone because the gravitational influence of (mainly) Jupiter means planets must orbit a new point in space.”
He further explains, “The planets do orbit the Sun of course, we are just being pedantic about the situation. The natural thinking is that we orbit the Sun’s center, but that very rarely happens, i.e. it’s very rare for the solar system’s center of mass to align with the Sun’s center.”
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Conclusion: Earth is not revolving around Sun
Planets are indeed orbiting the Sun, exact point they revolve around, barycentre, is influenced by the gravitational pull of large planets like Jupiter. This causes the center of mass of the solar system to shift, often placing it outside the Sun. Thus, the Earth’s orbit is around this shifting point in space rather than the exact center of the Sun.
