228
submitted 1 month ago by Don_Dickle@lemmy.world to c/til@lemmy.world
top 26 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Alinor@lemmy.world 40 points 1 month ago
[-] billwashere@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

This is awesome and 🤯 at the same time.

[-] casmael@lemm.ee 27 points 1 month ago

Right because it goes round so fast. I feel like this is somehow misleading tho, to be real

[-] blackbelt352@lemmy.world 34 points 1 month ago

Sort of, basically because mercury has the small orbit it spends the most time closer on average to any other planet. The CGP Grey video someone else posted is a really good explanation as to what's going on.

[-] SturgiesYrFase@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 month ago

I mean, I think you basically cut the explanation to a single sentence.

[-] casmael@lemm.ee 7 points 1 month ago

Excellent work optimising efficiency in the pipeline srgnt 🫡

[-] SturgiesYrFase@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago

Carry on soldier 🫡

[-] blackbelt352@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Thanks! I still def recommend checking out the video. It's a really fascinating topic.

[-] SturgiesYrFase@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

I'd already saved it to my watch list. It sounded really interesting, I'll get around to it eventually 👍

[-] lunarul@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

I don't think it's misleading. I think a lot of people who think of Mars as the closest don't realize that it's only close once every 2 years or so and unimaginably far away on average (further than Mercury).

[-] expatriado@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago

when it is the furthest from earth, it is the least further

[-] casmael@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago

He doesn’t go far, that mercury fella

[-] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

He doesn't go too far enough! 😆

[-] niktemadur@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Neither too far nor too near
The least wiggle

What about if you add the sun into the equation?

[-] prime_number_314159@lemmy.world 32 points 1 month ago

If you take the sun out of the equation, the planets fly apart in all directions. Hope that helps ;)

I mean would the planets be closer to mercury or the sun on average

[-] Kethal@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

By the reasoning given for why Mercury is the closest for each planet, the Sun is the closest object for each planet, on average, excluding satellites of the planets.

[-] mecfs@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I would agree but unsure because there are the intricacies of orbit cycles and timings and the 3d plane of space

[-] rockerface@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago

I mean, the Solar System isn't all that 3D. Inside of the Oort Cloud, almost every notable object is on or close to the ecliptic

[-] NJSpradlin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I am not a scientist, or mathematician, or STEM in any way, but if we assume that mercury has a circular orbit, and the sun has a stationary position within everyone’s orbit… and that every planet has a circular orbit, instead of elliptical, then we can assume… that the sun and mercury (edit: or ANY planet) are equal, since mercury is half of the time further and half of the time closer.

I hope that helps. I know the first rule of the internet is that stating something wrong will immediately result in being corrected by a SME, so either way my comment will get you* the correct answer.

Edit: this reasoning would only apply to planets that have circular orbits and are on the same plane.

[-] FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Thanks for the attempt but your calculation is wrong, as it considers distance only on a one axis and not a two axis plane. With your circle assumption, mercury would be further than the sun on average.

I wonder if anyone has the data without the circle assumption, and also correcting for the various other complexities.

[-] NJSpradlin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Thanks, you fell into the trap. But, how would Mercury be further on average if we assumed circular orbits and the planets were on the same plane?

[-] mecfs@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

hope my shitty drawing helps

(replying from my alt)

[-] NJSpradlin@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Your bar napkin math has convinced me.

Edit: original commenter, here is your answer.

[-] eyeon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I don't think that would help, I quite like our relative location.

this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2024
228 points (97.9% liked)

Today I Learned

17282 readers
425 users here now

What did you learn today? Share it with us!

We learn something new every day. This is a community dedicated to informing each other and helping to spread knowledge.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must begin with TIL. Linking to a source of info is optional, but highly recommended as it helps to spark discussion.

** Posts must be about an actual fact that you have learned, but it doesn't matter if you learned it today. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.**



Rule 2- Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Posts and comments which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding non-TIL posts.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-TIL posts using the [META] tag on your post title.



Rule 7- You can't harass or disturb other members.

If you vocally harass or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.

For further explanation, clarification and feedback about this rule, you may follow this link.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.

Unless included in our Whitelist for Bots, your bot will not be allowed to participate in this community. To have your bot whitelisted, please contact the moderators for a short review.



Partnered Communities

You can view our partnered communities list by following this link. To partner with our community and be included, you are free to message the moderators or comment on a pinned post.

Community Moderation

For inquiry on becoming a moderator of this community, you may comment on the pinned post of the time, or simply shoot a message to the current moderators.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS