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The sun orbits the centre of the Milky Way galaxy at an average velocity of 828,000 km/hr. Even at that rate it still takes us about 230 million years to make a complete orbit of the Milky Way.
As to why it circles the center of the galaxy, this is due to the mechanics of formation of the galaxy. Matter attracted to the center of the system tends not to fall directly towards the middle but to swirl in like the whirlpool in the bathtub drain
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoIt has a larger mass, thus larger gravitational pull. All objects would naturally try to move in a straight line, and is then only effected by gravity, which will then alter their route, or as some say the shape of the universe, and thus the shortest distance between two lines also becomes a curve. Imagine holding out a table cloth, and then dumping something heavy in the middle. You'd observe that it makes a dent, sinks in and thus shapes the table cloth. If you now try and throw a little ball in a straight line, it will naturally try and follow the shape of the table cloth, and thus not move in a straight line, but rather turn, and then start circling the heavy object that's in the middle. The heavy object would be the sun, the table cloth the universe, the dent it's making gravity, and the little ball would be anything, such as a planet etc. The bigger the object, the bigger the dent, and the more likely it is to shape, and determine the natural path objects would take.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe great mass of the Sun distorts space around it so that things moving in a "straight line" circle around the massive star.
Answer2
Firstly, re the above answer, the Sun may distort space by vitue of its gravity but things that get near it orbit it because its gravity keeps them there, not because of any distortion of space. It's the same for things that orbit the Earth.
Secondly, the question asks why thngs in space orbit the Sun. Well, they don't all orbit it. Some are far too far away to be attracted by its gravity.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoThe sun's gravitational pull is so strong that everything else in our solar system is drawn to it.
Well, in a word, GRAVITY. The sun's huge MASS generates a very large Gravitational Field that holds nearby objects (relatively speaking) in a somewhat circular orbit. Hence the planets are "captured" by the Sun's Gravity. Anything moving too fast, too far away, or with too little mass itself just keeps on trucking out of the Solar System.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoTechnically they don't really. They orbit the common center of mass. It's just that since the Sun contains such a large fraction of the mass of the solar system, that point is actually inside the Sun.
The reason all this happens is because of gravity.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoBecause the sun has gravity which pulls the object toward it.
Wiki User
∙ 15y agogravitational pull.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoBecause of the sun's gravitational poll
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Do moons and asteroids orbit the sun?
Asteroids orbit the sun. Moons orbit planets and planets orbit the sun. So you could say the moons orbit the sun. However, moons are kept in their orbits by the gravity of their planet and planets are kept in orbit by the gravity of the sun. So in that sense, moons do not orbit the sun.
How many times can earth orbit the sun in 100 years?
Earth takes 1 year for 1 orbit around the sun. So, in 100 years, Earth can orbit the sun 100 times.
How many planets in your solar system revolve around the sun?
In our solar system, eight known planets revolve or orbit around the Sun (as do a lot of other objects, dwarf or minor planets, asteroids, comets, and so forth).
Why is Eris not considered a planet?
Many smaller objects cross Eris' orbit, so it does not dominate its orbital path. An object must clear its orbit of other objects to be considered a planet.
When will Eris next orbit the sun?
Eris is in orbit around the sun. It will remain so unless perturbed from its orbit.
How many days are in the suns year?
Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.Planets have years based on the time it takes them to orbit the sun. The sun does not orbit itself, so it does not have a year.
Do moons and asteroids orbit the sun?
Asteroids orbit the sun. Moons orbit planets and planets orbit the sun. So you could say the moons orbit the sun. However, moons are kept in their orbits by the gravity of their planet and planets are kept in orbit by the gravity of the sun. So in that sense, moons do not orbit the sun.
How many times can earth orbit the sun in 100 years?
Earth takes 1 year for 1 orbit around the sun. So, in 100 years, Earth can orbit the sun 100 times.
Does the sun orbit inside the solar system I know that it rotates in its axis every 26 earth days?
The sun really doesn't orbit inside the solar system; all of the other objects in the solar system orbit around the sun. In a strange way, you can think of the sun and other objects orbiting around each other, in the sense that the earth and moon orbit a mutual center of gravity called the barycenter. But the sun is so much more massive than everything else combined that this idea isn't very useful.
Which takes longer to orbit the sun oort cloud or kupiter belt?
The Oort cloud is generally much further out than the Kuiper belt, so Oort cloud objects will generally take a lot longer to orbit our sun.
How many planets in your solar system revolve around the sun?
In our solar system, eight known planets revolve or orbit around the Sun (as do a lot of other objects, dwarf or minor planets, asteroids, comets, and so forth).
Why is Eris not considered a planet?
Many smaller objects cross Eris' orbit, so it does not dominate its orbital path. An object must clear its orbit of other objects to be considered a planet.
Does the sun have a moon?
The sun has 8 or 9 major planets and thousands of smaller objects orbiting around it. Some of the planets have many moons. (eg Neptune has 13) It can have moons but so far all of the moons are to close to the planets to get caught in the sun's orbit.
Why the planets and other object in the solar system orbit around the sun?
Its quite simple really. Look at our planet, it has gravity which allows the moon to orbit us because the moon is being tugged by that invisable hand. Its the same with the sun but because the sun is so big and dense it has stronger gravity and therefore, objects orbit it.
When will Eris next orbit the sun?
Eris is in orbit around the sun. It will remain so unless perturbed from its orbit.
What is a moon and how does it move around the solar system?
Moons are approximately spherical objects which orbit planets and are smaller than the planets that they orbit, although they are still relatively large objects (so an orbiting dust particle does not qualify as a moon). Since moons orbit planets, their motion around the solar system is controlled by the planets that they orbit; planets orbit the sun, and planets take their moons with them.
Why do planets revolve around the sun and not the other way around?
The sun is much bigger than planets and has more mass, so it also has more gravitational pull. Objects in space with a greater gravitational pull can keep smaller objects in orbit.
