Apparently, 25% of Russians believe that the Sun rotates around Earth. Even the experienced sociologists were astounded by the survey results.

Why do 1/4 of Russians think the Sun rotates around the Earth?

Every fourth citizen of Russia is convinced that the Sun keeps making rounds circling the Earth, Valery Fedorov, the director of the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) confirmed to Izvestia.

Sociologists ask Russians this question year after year and every time there are some people who support an alternative view of the world.

• In fact, in 2011 32% of Russian residents said that the Sun rotates around the Earth — 7% more.
• In 2007 28% of people supported this view.

Fedorov underlined that they rechecked and reconfirmed the results of the polling.

So, it is a “sociological fact”, he adds.

The head of VCIOM admits that he was really astounded by the Russians’ answer to this question — no other surveys impressed him that much.

By the way, along with this notion, about 1/3 of Russians believe that dinosaurs and people appeared on the Earth about the same time.

What is really going on?

Let’s point out 2 things.

1. Yes, our planet rotates around the Sun. Though technically, it’s not an absolute truth. In reality, the Sun and the planets are moving around the center of the mass of the solar system. This center is located very close to the Sun and it’s different for all planets. For the Earth, for instance, it’s somewhere inside the Sun. For Jupiter, it’s outside of it.
2. The whole solar system in its own turn orbits the center the Milky Way galaxy.

The heavier the object, the more gravitational pull it has. That is why the Earth revolves around the Sun and not vice versa. And it is the reason why the solar system travels around the Milky Way. This phenomenon was explained 300 years ago by Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists ever.

Our galaxy does not stand still as well. It travels towards our neighbor — Andromeda galaxy. And they are supposed to merge in about 4 billion years!

Just yesterday evening my little son was trying to draw a kind of our solar system with the bright shining star in its center.

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