You were taught that Earth and other planets in our solar system orbit the sun, and that our solar system orbits the center of the Milky Way. Is it possible that your science teacher had it wrong? Is everything you’ve learned about physics and gravity incorrect?
THE EARTH DOESN’T ACTUALLY ORBIT THE SUN?
Let us first start by saying that for all practical purposes, what you were taught isn’t entirely wrong. The Earth does in fact orbit the sun. In the strictest sense, however, it doesn’t.
“But how can this be?”, you might ask. It’s been tested, verified and is common knowledge. It’s one of the first science lessons taught to kids in in grade school. How can our fundamental understanding of the solar system be wrong? Well, it’s actually due to a technicality.
Everything that has mass has gravity. The more massive something is, the more gravity it has.
The sun and other planets all each have their own “gravity well” which interact and pull on one another. Because there are several different gravity wells interacting with each other, it means that everything in an orbital system (like our solar system) orbit the center of mass of the system. This center of mass of the system is called the barycenter.
The Earth, the sun and everything else in our solar system actually orbit this barycenter – not the sun.
"The center of mass of our solar system very close to the Sun itself, but not exactly at the Sun's center."
Right now, the barycenter is just outside the Sun's surface. But it's constantly changing depending upon where the planets are in their orbital paths.
Source:-
http://zidbits.com/2011/09/the-earth-doesnt-actually-orbit-the-sun/
Surprising
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