# The Solar System is a Vortex

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solar-system-is-a-vortex/652081>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 5, 2013, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solar-system-is-a-vortex/652081 "2013-03-05T10:20:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solar-system-is-a-vortex/652081/1 "2013-03-05T10:20:24Z")

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Loving this video of the Solar System depicted as a vortex because of the Sun’s movement through space. It’s obviously jazzed up, but I wonder what Dopers think of it.

> **[The vortex view of planetary motion around the Sun](https://kottke.org/13/03/the-vortex-view-of-planetary-motion-around-the-sun)**
>
> Since the Sun moves relative to the other stars around it at about 45,000 miles/hr, if you change the frame of reference from the

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**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solar-system-is-a-vortex/652081/2 "2013-03-05T10:30:38Z")

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Well, they do say that there’s a massive black hole in the center of the galaxy so in a way we’re all circling the drain.

But I wouldn’t call the solar system a “vortex” in any meaningful sense.

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**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solar-system-is-a-vortex/652081/3 "2013-03-05T10:46:02Z")

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This is what the “double rainbow” guy would have come up with if he’d had a bigger budget.

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solar-system-is-a-vortex/652081/4 "2013-03-05T10:55:55Z")

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The video is wrong:

> **[Viral Video Showing Sun’s “Vortex” Motion Is Wildly Inaccurate](https://slate.com/technology/2013/03/vortex-motion-viral-video-showing-suns-motion-through-galaxy-is-wrong.html)**
>
> I’ve been getting lots of tweets and email from folks linking to a slick-looking video, a computer animation showing the motion of the planets around...

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**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solar-system-is-a-vortex/652081/5 "2013-03-05T11:13:49Z")

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Thanks Wendell that’s a really interesting link. The Bad Astronomer has completely destroyed that video.