Found the center of gravity of the Solar System with an accuracy of 100 meters

The center of gravity of the Solar System has been identified with an accuracy of the order of 100 meters, never reached before. It is not located exactly in the middle of the Sun, but slightly outside its surface, due to the gravitational attraction that the various planets exert on our star, modifying its position, albeit slightly.

This is what emerges from the study published in the journal The Astrophysical Journal by the astronomers of the American Vanderbilt University, coordinated by Stephen Taylor, and of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Jpl) NASA at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), coordinated by Michele Vallisneri.

To obtain this measurement, the researchers used special software, used in the study of pulsars, very dense stars that rotate very quickly, emitting radiation at regular intervals, such as cosmic lighthouses. "It was not easy to pinpoint the center of gravity with precision, due to the multiple gravitational effects involved, due to the various celestial bodies of the Solar System, starting with the giant Jupiter," explained the authors of the study.

This measure, the experts conclude, can be useful in the study of gravitational waves, which requires knowledge of the position of the Earth with respect to the center of gravity of the Solar System.