Star trails prove that the earth does not move?

Is this right

www.earth-central.weebly.com

The upshoot is that star trails show rotation but show nothing in connection with earths orbit of the sun. Sounds silly, but I can't think of a good answer?

Originally posted by sinthia
Is this right

www.earth-central.weebly.com

The upshoot is that star trails show rotation but show nothing in connection with earths orbit of the sun. Sounds silly, but I can't think of a good answer?

So then why does the sky change depending on season?? Why do we have seasons??
This is because how the earth orbits around the sun.

It's all about perspective.

Yes - the earth moves. So does the sun. So do the other planets. And so do the stars.

The different rates of speed is what factors into an illusion that the earth could be standing still, etc.

This movement of up to 1670km/hr is the explanation given for the star trail. Yet, in this same length of time (1 hour) Earth is also meant to have travelled 108,000 km on its journey around the Sun! That is more than 64 times the distance that is said to be photographed on a star trail picture. Why is this far greater movement not reflected in the star trail photograph? Answer - simple, because the movement does not take place.

Let me help whatever unqualified self proclaimed theorist wrote the above article. The answer is even more simple than that. 108k km is nothing compare the the billions / trillions of kilometers that separate Earth/Sun from the stars that are making those traces. Our relative velocity related to those stars is negligible.


To scale down the scenario... You are on a carousel in Tampa FL that make one rotation per ~15 sec. would you be able to tell a difference in how far a guy had walked down the beach in Houston TX over the course of that 15 sec?

reply to post by sinthia


ok so point the camera at the north star which sits nearly directly above the earth axis and it proves the earth spins on its axis.....

Get in your car and drive on the freeway, go nuts take your car at the max you can.

Now look to your right, objects near appear to move fast.

Now look in the distance, say as far as you can see, pick an object, watch it.


Hey that doesn't move much either... Does that mean your cars not moving?

reply to post by TomServo


I get that point, but how come a 24hr rotation is observable when they are the same stars and distances?

reply to post by benrl


I can't get my head round why the rotation is visable but the orbit isn't.

reply to post by sinthia


Because you are not thinking of the sheer scale of the objects you at looking at.

In my car analogy the object in the distance will appear not to move because of the distances involved, take the spokes in a wheel, it's a similar concept to the outside of the wheel seems to move differently than the inside of the wheel.

Size and distance change the effects of movement.

reply to post by sinthia

I think you are asking, how can you see a particular star for the entire 24hr period. If you are in the northern hemisphere, you can always see the north star. During the summer, it is higher in the sky, and lower during the winter.

reply to post by benrl


But surely the scale should be the same, as they are the same stars? If the orbit of the sun is faster, shouldn't that be more visable than the rotation?

reply to post by sinthia


Wow I have to say that's one of the most ridiculousness websites I have every seen.

Yes the earth moves...

Parallax

Stellar Aberration

More Stellar Aberration

reply to post by Openeye


That doesn't answer the question though

remember its not a perfectly round orbit.
we are slightly tilted and its an elliptical orbit, this and the massive scale and how the human mind has trouble understanding this scale.

OP, Read and try to understand about parallax, the apparent motion based on distance from the observer.

To see the effect of the earth's orbit around the sun you would look at an analemma. This would show you more clearly how the earth's orbit is affected by distances from observed objects.

reply to post by sinthia


Study astronomy, take a basic course at a jc.

The earth axis is at a tilt and spins, rotates around the sun, the sun rotates around the galactic disc.

The scales are so massive that even until recent human history we didn't know exacts about our position in the universe.

Imagine a spec of dust floating in your room right now, imagine that spec of dust is our solar system (not even earth but the whole thing) even than the distance from the spec to the nearest visible star would probably be in the next town over from you.

Now if that spec was the earth even than the sun would still be a few blocks away.




See the stars in this video, and how the earth moves, its a slight tilt, and the stars "north" of the earth appear above it so when it rotates they are always visible...

One of the main reasons id like to travel to south of the equator is to see a different nights sky, down there you can see the disc of the milky way, we don't get to see that up here in the northern hemi...

wait I think I just got your question... Are you asking why their are start trails from earths rotation but not from the orbit? cause thats simple, again see my wheel analogy, go grab a bike tire and spin it, what looks to be moving faster, the inner or outter part?

Now imagine on the bike wheel you add a tiny ball that spins on its own, I really don't know how to break this concept down any simpler...

reply to post by sinthia

I can't get my head round why the rotation is visable but the orbit isn't.

You have to understand just how far away the stars are. The rotation of the Earth could be compared to you, as a single entity, if you just turned around in place....and you watched the all of the landscape "move" from your perspective.

As to the movement of the Earth (and, the entire Solar System....we, with the Sun and all the planets, are moving very rapidly, as we orbit the center of the Galaxy)......even a our Solar System moves, the distances are SO huge, the effect of change takes thousands and thousands and thousands of years to be detectable by the Human eye.

Of course, very precise instrument measurements are able to discern differences. They're called "arc seconds", and relate to parallax, and triangulation techniques using trigonometry and other maths.

If you are unaware of 'parallax', you should look it up.

It's funny, your question brings up several sources when "Googled":

How do stars move in the Galaxy?

Why Don't Stars Move?

etc......

reply to post by sinthia


if you imagine a line from the south pole to the north pole and connect the two you will find that the line will point almost exactly at the north star/polaris.

so earth is effectively rotating about that axis, which is what the pic on the website shows. the reason why polaris wont move from that spot regardless of the year is because our orbit around the sun is about 300,000,000km (diameter) the distance to the north star/polaris is about 434 light year. or its about 14,466,666,666 times the distance (earths orbit diameter).

if you have a paper long enough mark down 1mm on the paper, from that mark measure perpendicular at a distance of 14,466,666,666mm or 14,466,666km away. thats roughly the scale you are looking at.

i'll have a look at analemma's and think it through.
Thanks for your help, but i'm still as confused. I can't get how you can see a circular star trail, yet looking at exactly the same stars you get a much faster and bigger distance movement of the orbit undetected. I know in my head what I mean but can't get it across. back later thanks

i thought people were taught this stuff in grade school.

School curriculum must really be slipping.