4 ms·
Curtis's galaxy was centered on the Sun, while Shapley correctly placed the Sun in the outer regions of the galaxy It seems pretty obvious, just from looking a
by sp332 7y ago
Curtis's galaxy was centered on the Sun, while Shapley correctly placed the Sun in the outer regions of the galaxy
It seems pretty obvious, just from looking around a bit on a dark night, that most of the Milky Way is on one side of us. So why would any model put the sun at the center?
- pretendscholar 7y agoWhy would you know that the sun is the same as the stars?
- sp332 7y agoIn 1920 though?
- dylan604 7y agoSimple observation isn't the most accurate though. Simple observation has planets going backwards in their paths in the sky. That was really confusing when simple observation led everyone to believe the Earth was at the center. Whatever assumptions anyone makes today is on the shoulders of giants that preceded them.
- empath75 7y agoI think people’s default assumptions place themselves at the center of the universe.
- pbhjpbhj 7y agoIt's not wrong, and makes the maths easier ... as long as we're happy to shift our reference point when appropriate, it seems valid to me. The CoM of the local galactic cluster isn't particular useful as a reference and is no more valid a default. One of my personal /bête noires/ is people who say "the Earth isn't the centre of the Universe" ... it's a valid choice. /fight-me