{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1808311,
        "msgid": "nasa-reveals-new-facts-earth-does-not-actually-orbit-the-sun-1781700775",
        "date": "2026-06-17 19:10:00",
        "title": "NASA Reveals New Facts: Earth Does Not Actually Orbit the Sun",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Technology",
        "summary": "NASA has clarified that, technically, planets including Earth do not orbit the Sun directly. Instead, they orbit a common centre of mass called the barycentre, which is often located outside the Sun due to the gravitational influence of massive planets like Jupiter and Saturn. This nuanced understanding stems from Kepler's laws and the two-way nature of gravitational pull.",
        "content": "<p>We have long been taught that the Earth and the planets in our Solar\nSystem orbit the Sun. However, the theory is not as simple as it\nappears.<\/p>\n<p>Technically, this is not how the Solar System operates. It is stated\nthat the Earth and the planets do not orbit the Sun itself.<\/p>\n<p>To explain this, Kepler\u2019s third law describes the relationship\nbetween the masses of two rotating bodies, which determines orbital\nparameters. This applies to the Solar System, where the Sun has 1,048\ntimes the mass of Jupiter, but gravity functions in two directions.<\/p>\n<p>NASA explains the concept of the \u2018barycentre\u2019, which occurs when two\nstars of vastly different masses rotate around a shared centre of mass.\nThis does not depend solely on the size of each moving object.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMovement around the barycentre with massive planets is one of the\nmethods used to discover planetary systems with distant stars,\u201d NASA\nexplained.<\/p>\n<p>In the Solar System, IFL Science notes that the barycentre object\nusually resides near the Sun due to its immense mass. However, due to\nthe gravitational influence of Jupiter and Saturn, this object is rarely\nlocated inside the Sun.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the Earth does not orbit a single point within the Sun,\nbut rather at a point on its exterior. This has been confirmed by\nplanetary astronomer and science communicator James O\u2019Donoghue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGenerally, the planets orbit the Sun, but technically, the planets\ndo not orbit the Sun because of the primary gravity from Jupiter,\nmeaning the planets orbit a new point in space,\u201d he stated on his X\naccount.<\/p>\n<p>He added that the centre of mass of the solar system is rarely\naligned with the Sun. A similar phenomenon occurs with planets and their\nmoons.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the Moon does not orbit exactly at the centre of the\nEarth. Instead, it orbits 5,000 kilometres from the Earth\u2019s centre, a\ndistance that continues to change as the Moon steadily moves away from\nEarth.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nasa-reveals-new-facts-earth-does-not-actually-orbit-the-sun-1781700775",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}