1 in 4 Americans think the Sun Orbits the Earth

[Willen]

Go here first-
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/1-in-4-americans-think-the-sun-orbits-the-earth/

I am feeling amazing! We have just 65% poor literacy rate in my country so VARIOUS people think that the sun orbits the earth. But these countries have very high literacy rate but how they are orbiting the sun to the earth?

 

[Ratchit]

Willen,
Many folks are woefully ignorant of common everyday facts pertaining to science, politics, geography, etc. What is worse, however, is that many scientists are lacking in critical thinking skills.

Ratch

 

[misterT]

.. and even more people think that there is god and life after death.

I think something like believing in bible is more stupid than thinking that sun orbits the earth. From earth it looks like the sun orbits the earth.. you can draw the orbits relative to earth (earth is at the center) and everything works. Nothing wrong with that. Even Copernicus got it "wrong" just because he was thinking on his own and made conclusions according to what he saw.

Of course the orbits look more natural when they are observed relative to the sun.

Green center = Earth and moon
Magenta = Sun
Black = Mercury
Blue = Venus
Red = Mars

 

[atferrari]

Saying that the Sun orbits around the Earth makes MUCH easier to explain seasons, tropic lines and all related to them.

As an example: if I say that the Sun is in my zenith at a certain moment, it is because I am in Earth and I can see it right up there, above my head.

In the old times, when taking fixes at sea with a sextant, that really DID matter to me.

Unless you put the beholder out of the Earth and out of the Sun.

BTW, go to a more or less detailed world map. Select any ten countries in the five continents, none of them sharing borders with yours. Take 20 people and ask them to say where they are located approximately. Be assured: all will fail. Yes ALL.

Good oportunity to say it: Río de Janeiro is not the capital city of my country while Patagonia is a big part of it.

Surely now you will have to Google. Sorry.

 

[Ratchit]

MisterT,

".. and even more people think that there is god and life after death."

That belief is partially based on faith, and the fact that the universe initially had to be created.

"I think something like believing in bible is more stupid than thinking that sun orbits the earth."

Not so. It can be proven beyond a doubt that that the Earth orbits the sun. So believing the opposite is really stupid. Most major religious books do contain some provable truths, and a lot of indefinite conjectures which can be selectively interpreted. That sustains the faith of those who wish to believe in something.

"From earth it looks like the sun orbits the earth.. you can draw the orbits relative to earth (earth is at the center) and everything works. Nothing wrong with that."

Except that it does not work by conforming to celestial mechanics, which does not support an extreme mass orbiting around a much lighter mass.

"Even Copernicus got it "wrong" just because he was thinking on his own and made conclusions according to what he saw."

What did he get wrong?

"Of course the orbits look more natural when they are observed relative to the sun."

And are explainable, too.



atferrari,

"Saying that the Sun orbits around the Earth makes MUCH easier to explain seasons, tropic lines and all related to them."

Oh? I thought the tilt of the Earth's axis explained the seasons.

"As an example: if I say that the Sun is in my zenith at a certain moment, it is because I am in Earth and I can see it right up there, above my head."

Don't confuse the rotation of the Earth with its path around the sun.

"In the old times, when taking fixes at sea with a sextant, that really DID matter to me."

Why? Celestial navigation is a defined procedure that works no matter what you believe with respect to the orbits of the celestial bodies.

"BTW, go to a more or less detailed world map. Select any ten countries in the five continents, none of them sharing borders with yours. Take 20 people and ask them to say where they are located approximately. Be assured: all will fail. Yes ALL."

It has been proven many times that many people do not know the basics of geography.

"Good oportunity to say it: Río de Janeiro is not the capital city of my country while Patagonia is a big part of it."

Río de Janeiro is not the capital city of any country.

"Surely now you will have to Google. Sorry."

Not I.

Ratch

 

[misterT]

"Even Copernicus got it "wrong" just because he was thinking on his own and made conclusions according to what he saw."

What did he get wrong?

Yes.. sorry, my mistake. Copernicus was the first one to put the sun in the center. Aristotle put the earth in the center..

 

[NorthGuy]

.. and even more people think that there is god and life after death.

A priest once told me: "Look, if there's no god and no hell, but you still go to the churh every Sunday, it won't hurt you. But if there is, wouldn't you be glad that you escaped the hell by visiting the church regularly!"

 

[misterT]

A priest once told me: "Look, if there's no god and no hell, but you still go to the churh every Sunday, it won't hurt you. But if there is, wouldn't you be glad that you escaped the hell by visiting the church regularly!"

He was a salesman obviously..

 

[ericgibbs]

Look what Pascal said about this subject.

https://www.iep.utm.edu/pasc-wag/

E

 

[misterT]

Look what Pascal said about this subject.

https://www.iep.utm.edu/pasc-wag/

E

40 virgins sounds more fun to me.. maybe I should turn to islam "just in case" because the profit is so vast.

 

[Ratchit]

40 virgins sounds more fun to me.. maybe I should turn to islam "just in case" because the profit is so vast.

Don't be hasty. Better make sure the reward is real before you switch lifestyles.
Ratch

 

[audioguru]

Google says they get 72 virgins as a reward, not just 40 of them. Something like The Bachelor TV show.

 

[killivolt]

Nothing wrong with that. Even Copernicus got it "wrong" just because he was thinking on his own and made conclusions according to what he saw.

Of course the orbits look more natural when they are observed relative to the sun.

Green center = Earth and moon
Magenta = Sun
Black = Mercury
Blue = Venus
Red = Mars

I seem to think similarly. It is what you see, and is what you make of it. If your not into science and astronomy it's common mistake.

Do you remember which way you turned the door knob this morning. I don't really believe you think about it. It's an everyday occurrence and ends up in the mind as you see it.

When I can see it from the sun, it will be more than short lived.

 

[Ratchit]

I seem to think similarly. It is what you see, and is what you make of it. If your not into science and astronomy it's common mistake.

You would be easy meat for an illusionist.

Do you remember which way you turned the door knob this morning. I don't really believe you think about it. It's an everyday occurrence and ends up in the mind as you see it.

Yes, I do. What is point you are trying to make?

When I can see it from the sun, it will be more than short lived.

What will be short lived?

Ratch

 

[ClydeCrashKop]

They used to think the world was flat because so many people were falling off the edge.
Then they thought it was round because of this.
From Genesis: "And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth." Then He made the earth round, and He laughed and laughed and laughed!
I think the world is square. Everyone has heard of the 4 corners of the earth.

 

[Willen]

I remembered an event from your post-

Once few scientists from NASA launched the space shuttle to go to the moon. That time moon was full. Mistakenly they reached and tried to land to the moon just after 15 days, and that time was smaller than quarter in size. Due to the reason they fall down back to the earth and died all. Hehe

 

[killivolt]

I seem to think similarly. It is what you see, and is what you make of it. If your not into science and astronomy it's common mistake.

You would be easy meat for an illusionist.

I repeat - If your not into science and astronomy it's common mistake.

Edit: Now that I think about it. I would be easy meat for an illusionist

Do you remember which way you turned the door knob this morning. I don't really believe you think about it. It's an everyday occurrence and ends up in the mind as you see it.

, I do. What is point you are trying to make?

Sorry about that, I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this.

When I can see it from the sun, it will be more than short lived.

What will be short lived?

Your life. (Lighten up)

 

[bryan1]

Your life. (Lighten up)

what with a blow torch

 

[ronsimpson]

In the southern US 47% of the people believe that plants and animals can not change with time, and they want schools to teach the world is 6000 years old.

 

[DerStrom8]

Okay, I know that the earth orbits the sun. Everybody here knows that. But I just want to toss a thought out there, just for the heck of it--

There is the possibility that the universe is infinite, correct? If it is infinite, then that means it has no exact center. If it has no exact center, then we have no point of reference to determine what is revolving around what. Heck, if the universe is infinite, it could be said that it is revolving around the Earth and be correct. The same could be said of the sun, or other planets, or other stars, or other galaxies. So, in a way, if the universe IS infinite (which we are not sure of so this point is still moot), then saying the sun orbits the Earth could still be considered true.

Again, this is ONLY based on the idea that the universe is infinite, which it may not be. If it's not infinite, it would be incorrect to say the earth (or the rest of the universe) revolves around the earth, but it's something to think about. We're never going to know for sure what actually revolves around what.

Regards,
Matt