Solar system movement

Emp_Fab · September 2013

Most animations of planetary movement have a static Sun. Obviously, as we are part of a spiral, rotating galaxy that itself is also moving linearly, our transition through space is anything but heliocentric. I just found this gif that illustrates our real movement through space. Quite interesting I thought !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/aneng/animated-gifs-solar-system_zpse5d475f7.gif

ICBM · September 2013

Very pretty

.

But still only relative

.

ddlooping · September 2013

We're screwed! :-O

Grunfeld · September 2013

I really like that. I'd never considered it being something like that before :-)

Myranda · September 2013

For some reason I assumed the sun moved alone a similar plane to the planets... where this looks almost perpendicular ... hmm

VimFuego · September 2013

hang on, you mean the earth isn't flat?

randomhandclaps · September 2013

VimFuego said:

hang on, you mean the earth isn't flat?

Only in places.

viz · September 2013

Don't forget the precession!

Myranda · September 2013

He's not saying anything crazy like that... just that the turtle that the flat disk of the earth is on moves in circles around the sun (quite quickly it seems) and that moves in a circle too... presumably around a bigger turtle at the centre of the galaxy

VimFuego · September 2013

that's alright then.

That's the problem with the internet, it's so easy to misunderstand something. I saw that GIF and all subconsciously like, the pitchfork was in my hand and I was heating up the irons. Scary.

Grunfeld · September 2013

Okay, so I'm trying to work out if those spirals are what elliptical orbits would make. Cos they look a bit circular to me.

Circles or ellipses?

ICBM · September 2013

Grunfeld said:

Okay, so I'm trying to work out if those spirals are what elliptical orbits would make. Cos they look a bit circular to me.

Circles or ellipses?

At that scale you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, except with Pluto (if it's shown).