> Benj wrote:

>> On Sep 3, 1:24 am, Pop Fly gmail.com> wrote:

>>> On Sep 2, 10:49 am, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:

>>

>>> Galileo did have proof. He did not have a theory of gravitational
>>> force complete with math equations that explained WHY the earth and
>>> planets circled the sun, but he had a long history of exact observed
>>> positions of the planets that showed they DID circle the sun. He could
>>> show that the positions required bizarre and unlikely circles within
>>> circles if the sun orbited the earth, but were better explained by
>>> simple orbits with the earth orbiting the sun.

>>
>> Lets establish some baselines here:
>>
>> 1. Galileo was NOT "right" and The Church was not "wrong"! It is
>> impossible to say that the earth and planets circle the sun. To assert
>> that as a positive fact would require one to know exactly where the
>> physical unmoving center of the universe reference frame is located
>> and establish that it is NOT on the earth someplace. Nobody knows
>> this.

>
> That assumes that there IS a reference frame against which the
> universe's movement and that it has a centre. Current cosmological
> models say there is no such 'place'.
>
> Earth and Sun move about their common barycentre (rather the Earth/Moon
> system and the Sun move around their common barycentre), and each of the
> other planets has its own barycentre relative to the Sun
>
> As the Solar system is in orbit around the centre of the galaxy, each of
> these barycentres is moving (with the Sun) on its 250 million year (or
> whatever) orbit whilst at the same time sharing in the Galaxy's own
> proper motion within the Local Group and with the Local Group's own
> motion towards what may be 'the Great Attractor'.
>
> However, most people would say that Galileo was more 'right' than those
> who believed in a Geocentric cosmology.