Do the Planets Have a Physical Effect on the Sun?

-- | July 6, 2014

Question: We know that our sun has a profound impact on all planets in our solar system. But, does planets have any effect on our sun? — Vinod

Answer: Just as the Sun exerts a gravitational pull on the planets, the planets exert a gravitational pull on the Sun. Since the Sun is far more massive than the planets, the pull felt by the Sun is rather small. This gravitational pull by the planets, and mainly Jupiter as it is the most massive, actually causes the Sun to orbit around a point just outside its radius. This would be seen as a “wobble” in the position of the Sun as viewed by a person looking at our Sun from far outside of our solar system.

Jeff Mangum

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