Every time we think about the solar system we probably imagine the planets, the stars, the sun and a great black void. Almost out of habit, in the collective imagination the enormous sun is placed at the center of everything. However, the reality is different, and has now been revealed: the center of the universe is not the sun.
Before stating that everything in this universe revolves around the sun, we have to take into account some considerations. The first is that this giant star has never been motionless. The sun rotates in the galaxy at a speed of approximately 828,000 kilometers per hour, that is, it takes approximately 225 million years to make a complete revolution.
Furthermore, if we could see the solar system from a more general perspective, what would be observed is a propeller-like movement where the sun is not precisely in the center. This would mean that there is something else at the center, something that governs the movement (even) of the sun and the entire universe.
The true center of the universe
Better known as the center of gravity or barycenter, this is the point at which the mass of all objects balances. This midpoint is not necessarily the center of a star. For example, in the case of Earth, the moon does not revolve around the planet. In reality, both bodies rotate around a common center of gravity.
Regarding the solar system, a group of researchers recently tried to discover the precise location of the . All this was known thanks to the data returned by a dozen pulsars, that is, they rotate at high speed sending pulses of radiation to the Earth.
These pulsars have such magnificent precision that some consider them the clocks of the universe. But how exactly did these stars help? According to a study, the objective is to detect gravitational waves coming from some .
This method, through black holes, would allow us to obtain greater precision about the waves that navigate the universe. Although masses and other distortions in space are considered to possibly change the waves, the researchers decided to take a chance.
“Our precise observation of pulsars, scattered throughout the galaxy, has located us in the cosmos better than we have been able to achieve until now,” says Stephen Taylor (study collaborator).
If the signals from the pulsars are going in the right direction, the position of the center of the solar system would be being shifted from the center of the sun towards its surface. That is, the midpoint would not be in the core of the star, but in a space on its surface.
The location of the center is still not very certain, but scientists are getting closer to discovering it, thanks to the waves sent by neutron stars. In conclusion, it will take to pinpoint where the center of the universe is, and experts know that they are close to achieving it.