Does the sun move?

Ancient peoples believed that the sun revolved around the Earth, a view that seemed obvious based on the observed motion of the sun across the sky. We now know (excepting a few modern flat-Earthers) that the planets are actually in orbit around the sun.

Since we know that the Earth is actually in motion and that the sun’s daily movement is an illusion, it is tempting to visualize the solar system with a stationary sun in the center and the planets revolving around that central point. In actuality, the sun is moving through space at a speed of 137 miles per second!

Where exactly is the sun speeding off to? It is rotating around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Earth takes one year to complete a revolution around the sun; the sun takes about 225 million years to complete one galactic revolution. As the sun moves in its own orbit, its gravity drags the planets and other solar system objects along with it.

Bonus Fact #1: The Milky Way and other galaxies in the “Local Group” are also moving relative to each other, at speeds of up to 62 miles per second.

Bonus Fact #2: Most scientists believe that the center of the Milky Way contains a supermassive black hole, millions of times the mass of the sun.