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The sun and the Earth both orbit their common center of mass, as any two

orbiting bodies do.

Since the sun's mass is about 333,000 times the Earth's mass, their common

center of mass is about 333,000 times farther from the Earth than it is from the

sun. (Just the same way as the Earth and sun would have to be situated if the

two of them tried to ride a see-saw together.)

If the Earth averages about 93 million miles from the sun, that places their

common center of mass something like 280 miles from the center of the sun ...

about 0.03% of the distance from the sun's center to its 'surface'.

That's why it sure looks as if the sun is just sitting there in the center and the

Earth is circling around it ... because the Earth makes this enormous circle

around the common center of mass, while the sun just barely wiggles.

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13y ago

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