The solar system consists of planets, dozens of moons, and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteors revolving around the Sun at its center. Along with all these celestial bodies revolving it, the Sun turns around the Milky Way. This movement model is called the spiral model.

The planets in the solar system, based on their proximity to the Sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars (terrestrial planets), Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (Jovian planets), and Pluto (if accepted as a planet). The terrestrial planets are closer to the Sun. They are smaller and denser than Jovian planets. They have rocky surfaces and their cores are molten. Venus, Earth, and Mars have atmospheres. Mercury, on the other hand, does not have an atmosphere, as its surface gravity is not enough to keep atmospheric gases around the planet. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, but the surface temperatures on Venus are significantly higher compared to Mercury due to its dense atmosphere (also known as the greenhouse effect). For this reason, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system.

Jovian planets are larger than terrestrial planets. They consist mainly of gases, and they have lower densities and do not have rocky surfaces. They have a small, liquid and solid core. Their atmospheres consist of the same elements as the terrestrial planets. The density of Saturn is 0.687 gram per cubic centimeter. This makes it the only planet in the solar system with a density less than water. Neptune and Uranus are the coldest ice giants of our solar system.

Pluto is small and cold, and it is hard to observe. It consists of ice and rocks and has a thin atmosphere and a very low gravity.

As is seen, although they are assumed to have formed from the same nebular dust, each planet is unique manifesting magnificent beauty.

The Sun accounts for 99.86 percent of the total mass of the solar system. All other celestial bodies combined (planets, asteroids, satellites, meteors, etc.) make for only 0.14 percent of mass. This is similar to the fact that about 99.9 percent of an atom’s mass belongs to the nucleus and 0.1 percent is coming from the electrons. The Sun is approximately 333,000 times heavier than Earth. It is so large that it can house approximately 1.3 million Earths inside it [1]. However, the Sun is a medium-sized star compared to hundreds of thousands of stars in the Milky Way.

The Sun’s mass is 27 million times greater than that of the Earth’s moon [2]. During a total eclipse of the Sun, the moon moves in between the Sun and Earth. The moon’s diameter is approximately 400 times smaller than the Sun’s, and the moon is approximately 400 times closer to the Earth than the Sun [3]. The moon’s perfect positioning makes a total eclipse possible.

Distances and dimensions in the universe are so huge that astronomers use special units to define distances in space. Commonly used units for space include astronomical units (AU), light years, and parsecs.

An astronomical unit is the average distance of Earth from the Sun. Earth’s orbit is elliptical, and the Sun is not properly at its center. The minimum distance between Earth and the Sun is approximately 147 million km, and the maximum distance is approximately 152 million km along the semi major axis. The average of these distances is called 1 AU and equals approximately 149.6 million km [4].

One light year is the distance light can travel in space in one year, and it is calculated as 9.46 trillion km. The speed of light in a void is around 300,000 km per second (299,792,458 km/s). 1 parsec is approximately 3.26 light years.

The distances of planets to the Sun are not random. They seem to follow a mathematical sequence called Bode’s sequence. This sequence was first announced by German astronomer Johann Daniel Titius, in 1766. The sequence, popularized later by J. E. Bode in 1772, became very popular among the astronomical community as it held true for the distances of six planets – all that were known at that time – from the Sun [5]. The planets were found to conform considerably to this sequence. This sequence became all the more important with the discovery of Uranus, in 1781, as this sequence predicted the distance of Uranus from the Sun. Bode’s sequence starts with 0, followed by 3, and then, the next number is the twice the previous number.

0;    3;    6;    12;    24;    48;    96;    192;    384; …

Actual distances of planets from the Sun:

To adapt this sequence to the distances of planets from the Sun, Bode added 4 to these numbers before dividing them by 10. These changes do not break the original sequence. Adding 4 to the numbers of Bode’s sequence:

0+4=4;    3+4=7;    6+4=10;    12+4=16;    24+4=28;    48+4=52;    96+4=100;    192+4=196;    384+4=388

and then, dividing them by 10, we get:

0.4;    0.7;    1;    1.6;    2.8;    5.2;    10;    19.6;    38.8 (AU).

Looking again at the distances of planets from the Sun, we see that these distances are very much like the numbers calculated by Bode:

This sequence suggests that there should be a planet at a distance of 2.8 AU from the Sun, but there is none. However, there is the asteroid belt (between 2.2 AU and 3.2 AU) at this position. Bode’s law led to the discovery of the asteroids as a result of a search for a planet between Mars and Jupiter. The largest astronomical object at a distance of 2.7 AU from the Sun is Ceres. Ceres is the largest object in the main asteroid belt in orbit between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres has a width that is the half of the moon’s, but its mass is 1 percent of the moon’s. That is, it has a very low density. It is the largest asteroid in the solar system and has a round shape thanks to its gravity. Many astronomical sources refer to Ceres as a dwarf planet.

Neptune is the only planet that does not conform to Bode’s sequence.

As seen, the planets are not randomly lined up around the Sun. It is not a coincidence that these planets are positioned like beads of a rosary according to a special mathematical formula.

References

1. How large is the Sun compared to Earth? | Cool Cosmos (caltech.edu)
2. Currents: NOAA’s National Ocean Service Education
3. Why do the sun and moon seem like the same size? | Space | EarthSky
4. Solar System Math (nasa.gov)
5. Bode’s law – Oxford Reference

In order to find answers to these questions, let’s consider ourselves sitting at home after a long, tiring day. Are we aware that we are moving very fast even at a moment when we seem to be resting? When we travel by bus, we are motionless from the standpoint of a sitting passenger, yet have a velocity compared to an outsider standing on the sidewalk. The trees lining the road seem to be going backwards, but they are fixed to the ground with no speed. Therefore, velocity is relative and we in fact move at different speeds while sitting at home depending on the objects of reference. We have a zero velocity relative to our guests sitting with us on the couch, but have various speeds compared to the center of Earth, the moon, the sun and the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Not only us, but all existence in the universe has a movement, or oscillation. This movement is usually in the form of a revolution for objects of important mass and as a vibration for particles with smaller masses.

The shining celestial bodies of the cosmos rotate around themselves like whirling dervishes. They revolve around other heavenly bodies or around their common center of gravities, such as pilgrims revolving around Ka’ba in Mecca. The gravitational force set in the universe pulls all objects towards each other. This gravitational force indeed pulls all masses together; however, it is counterbalanced by the motion of revolution given to grand heavenly bodies. As a matter of fact, everything is moving: a solar system with its planets, moons, and comets; the Milky Way galaxy, along with billions of stars, nebulas, galaxies, interstellar dust, gas clouds, and other celestial objects… all are moving in a giant rotating motion like a carousel. In this article, you are going to find some of the scientific findings of our revolving planet, the sun, and the universe, and how some verses in the Qur’an sound miraculously relevant to them.

The Earth’s motion

First of all, we have a velocity stemming from the Earth’s rotation. People living on the equator travel approximately a thousand miles per hour in reference to the center of the globe due to this rotation. While people on the poles never gain any distance over 24 hours, people on the equator travel nearly 23,800 miles! Inside a plane, because we move at the same rate as the plane, we cannot feel its speed. In a similar way, since we move at the same rate as Earth, we cannot feel the globe’s movement.

There are many benefits associated with the Earth’s rotation. The delineation of day and night, atmospheric jet streams, oceanic currents, and similar events rise from the rotation of Earth around its axis. For instance, it causes the warm water currents of the Gulf Stream to reach England, generating a warm and rainy climate.

There are verses in the Qur’an that point to the globular shape of the Earth and its rotation around its axis and revolution around the sun:

“He has created the heavens and the Earth with truth. He wraps the night around the day, and He wraps the day around the night. And He has made the sun and the moon subservient (to His command), each running its course for a term appointed (by Him). Be aware! He is the All-Glorious with irresistible might, the All-Forgiving.” (Az-Zumar 5)

Yet another verse furthers this point:

“It is He Who has created the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Every one (of such celestial bodies) floats in its orbit.” (Al-Anbiya 33)

The verb “wrap” is usually used for round objects, and the perpetual arrival of day and night are only possible with a circular planet. The Earth’s rotation leads to different days, on the micro level, and different seasons, on the macro level. The Qur’an concisely summarizes all these physical events with the simple phrase, “wrap the night around the day.”

The Earth’s primary motion is around the sun. We are roughly 93 million miles away from the sun and we make this orbit, which is nearly 584 million miles, every 365 days. According to the center of the sun, our average velocity on this orbit is approximately 66 thousand miles per hour.
In addition, other planets travel around the sun via different orbits and speeds, each moving on a separate plane. For a moment, it is significant to visualize the sun, which is more than a million times larger than Earth, with its planets and other viscera revolving around it via no visible bond between them.

The movement of the sun

As stated earlier, when we travel on a bus, we observe the trees and buildings near the road going backwards even though we are the ones moving. In a similar way, we see the sun as revolving around us, though in fact the Earth is the one moving. In the Qur’an, the chapter of Al-Anbiya, the verse reading, “each running its course,” is about the creation of the sun and moon, clearly pointing to their movements. Unfortunately, the verse that reads, “A(nother) clear sign for them; And the sun runs the course appointed for it for a term to its resting-place, for the stability of it(s system)…” (Ya Sin 38) was misunderstood as the sun revolving around the Earth. However, we know today that our sun is one of a couple hundred billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy. As such, it both rotates around itself and revolves around the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and confirms the miraculous declaration of the truth in the verse.

In addition, the sun also has a secondary movement inside the local star cluster towards a certain direction. We can explain this with an example: the atmosphere is in motion along with the Earth. Each particle and particle set that makes up the atmosphere not only moves right and left, but also has a total revolution around the Earth. The sun behaves in a similar way within the star cluster and around the center of the Milky Way.

How are we going to define the velocity of the sun? We can determine the sun’s speed by referencing a constant point depending on the average velocity of stars in the section of the galaxy that we inhabit. The sun, according to a local constant point, travels towards the shiny Vega star in the Lyra constellation with an average speed of 43 thousand miles per hour.

Apart from their individual movements, the stars in our galaxy also revolve around the galactic center. The velocity of this movement depends on the star’s mass and its distance to the galaxy’s center. The sun completes one loop inside the Milky Way galaxy every 225 million years. It has completed a total of 20 tours around the galaxy’s center since the Earth’s creation. Our Earth, which moves along with the Sun, travels around the galaxy’s center at nearly 492 thousand miles per hour.

The motion of the Milky Way galaxy

Our galaxy is one of the billions of galaxies in known space. Galaxies are the biggest known structures. The universe expands and galaxies move away from each other, conforming to the meaning of the verse, “And the heaven, We have constructed it mightily; and it is surely We Who have vast power, and keep expanding it” (Adh-Dhariyat 47). Our galaxy, along with nearby galaxies, is pulled towards the Leo and Virgo constellations. The cause of this attraction is not understood yet.

Since all galaxies are moving, how can we determine the velocity of the Milky Way galaxy? As is known, the entire universe is filled with cosmic radiation as a remnant of the Big Bang. When this radiation is taken as a reference, the Milky Way travels at around 1.3 million miles per hour.

At the moment, when we think we are sitting in place, we are actually moving around the center of the Earth, sun, our local star cluster, the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and also moving away from other galaxies. We have velocity in relation to all of these movements. The revolution of the universe is also a fact verified by the Divine word: “I swear by the heaven ever-revolving” (At-Tariq 11).

Galaxy and the Sun

The 21 cm long radio wave radiation emitted from the hydrogen gas within the dense dust and gas clouds of the arms of the galaxy enables us to know about the structure of the galaxy. This information led us to conclude that our galaxy is indeed not a solid object and displays a circular motion of 250 km per second. The Solar system is estimated to complete one revolution around the galaxy in approximately 200 million years. At this point the critical question that comes to mind is how a solar system orbit is maintained and protected during these journeys where the solar system bypasses the gravitation and effects of strong heavenly bodies without causing disruption and collisions. The Earth just won’t become a habitable place only by considering planetary solutions. We may have to consider measures regarding our solar system and other galaxies, since the solar system has a very sensitive relation with the other heavenly systems in our galaxy.

The Sun’s position in the Milky Way

Trillions of comets in the Milky Way galaxy fill the outer space and encompass the solar system in a globular fashion. One of the comet groups orbiting the solar system is called Oort or Opic-Oort cloud. A hundred billion comets is estimated to exist in the Oort cloud.

These comets follow the designated orbits until they deorbit with gravity of another strong heavenly body other that the sun. Stars and masses of the Milky Way constitute a globular center with spiral arms where these arms extend out of the center in the same galactic plane. There are a limited number of systems located in the space between these spiral galactic arms. In fact, this is where our solar system exists. In other words, it deserves attention that the sun does not reside in the dense centric part of the galactic arm Orion (Hunter) but exists in the nearby sparsely populated galactic mid space. The solar system that has been placed in the most appropriate position within the Milky Way also needs to be protected from possible dangers it may encounter (like crossing paths with dense spiral arms) during its journey around center of the Milky Way.

Scientist who study the place of our solar system in galactic maps particularly point out that we are far away and safe from the devastating effects of cosmic storms.

If the solar system did exist in the arm where stars are densely populated and near each other, gravitational forces could result in changes in planetary orbits. For instance, in the spiral arms of the galaxy, comets would easily deorbit and bombard the earth momentarily under the strong gravitational force of these arms. Yet remarkable measures have been taken to protect against this as well! One of them is the velocity value of the Sun. For example, in order to provide an effective communication, a satellite positioned in the earth orbit is given a speed equal to the one earth has for rotating around its axis. Our sun is given a suitable velocity to move with almost the same speed of galactic arms without intercepting each other, thus providing a safe passage. However this is not the case in 95% of the stars and the spiral arms in our galaxy unlike the one determined for our solar system. This is something to reflect and think about. Another measure that prevents the sun from intersecting with the spiral arms is that it has a circular orbit rather than in the form of an ellipse like stars of the same age. Also in this regard, we observe that our sun is given a special movement allowing Earth to become a habitable place for life. The All-Wise and All-Mighty Creator works the galaxies just like a giant machinery wheel with his established laws.

The stars in the spiral arms may in time get sucked into the inner parts of the structure, not being able to hold on to their position for a long period of time. This is also applicable for the sun. Divine measures also intervene here and leave the sun in the protective zone. The sun is located in the “galactic common rotational radius” where strong spiral arm effects do not exist. Furthermore, when Supernova explosions take place, giant star debris can reach a couple thousand light years away, enabling the sun not to be negatively affected from these explosions since it exists in the outer regions of the arms.

Cosmic dangers in the galactic center

The solar system is 28,000 light years away from galaxy center. If our galaxy is considered to be 200 thousand light years wide, one can say that we are relatively close to the center.

This location in the galaxy is distant enough to be protected from the negative effects that could arise from the galaxy center. What would happen if the solar system was closer?

In this case we would constantly be exposed to dangerous gamma, X-ray, and cosmic radiations, therefore no life on Earth! Not to mention the black hole in the galaxy center which has a mass 3 million times as much as the sun. If the sun were to exist near the black hole, life on earth would again be negatively affected from the strong gravity of it. The extraordinary measures that have been taken for our solar system, the sensitive adjustments that are put in place, and the maintenance of such balance and complexity all displays a perfect science and a Divine power in the background. All these events demonstrate clearly that no single event of randomness and chaos exists in the universe. The most complicated and sensitive tasks are resolved in the best possible way, therefore revealing a perfect organization. We see this perfect organization between the Milky Way, the solar system and the earth!

Reference

Mishurov, Y.N. and L.A. Zenina. 1999. Yes, The Sun is Located Near the Corotation Circle. Astronomy & Astrophsica 341: s. 81–85.