If we look roughly at the movement Planets of the solar system, can give the impression that celestial bodies revolve around the center of the sun. But this is not exactly. In fact, there is an invisible point in space around which all beings in our cosmic neighborhood revolve, including the king of stars.
Around center of gravitythe point at which an object or system is in equilibrium. Also known as center of mass or center of gravity.
In an object whose mass is uniformly distributed, tie It is right in the middle. On the other hand, since most of its mass is concentrated in only one part, its center of gravity will be very close to it.
In the case of the solar system, The center of the Sun would be its bare center if all the mass was concentrated in this star. but he has 99.8%. Almost all of the rest is on Jupiter, a smaller part on Saturn, and much less on other planets.
Representation of the center of gravity between the Sun and Jupiter. Photo: NASA
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Where is the center of mass of the solar system?
Since the sun concentrates most of the mass of the solar system, the equilibrium point is located very close to the star, NASA explains. Therefore, celestial bodies move in elliptical orbits around this center of mass.
For the Sun, things are a bit chaotic: since the giants Jupiter and Saturn are constantly moving, the center of Bari is also moving, so star swing while rotating around that point.
This is shown in the following animation made by James O’Donogha planetary scientist at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
he is irregular orbit From the Sun it occurs over decades, so its movements are not as obvious when viewed from Earth.
We can still say that the planets revolve around the sun – or the region in which they are located, specifically -, But our star is definitely not the center of the solar system.
This topic continues to intrigue experts due to how difficult it is to determine exactly where this equilibrium point is, given that it changes its position with each orbit of Jupiter (12 years).
But in 2020, an international team of astronomers is approaching: The barycenter . is located from the solar system with a margin of error 100 meters only Thanks to the use of specialized software.
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barycenter as a sign of the outer planets
looking for scientists extrasolar planets (exoplanets) They use different methods when observing with telescopes. One of them is the detection of anomalies in the movement of stars.
If a star had planets — especially if they were massive — they would orbit around Barry’s center and, from our point of view, would look wobbly.
Until now, About 500 exoplanets It was discovered using this method, known as radial velocity.
Grace Montgomery writes for News Collective, covering news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on clear, reliable reporting and useful information, helping readers stay informed about current events, emerging trends, and stories that matter.