... With enough velocity, a spacecraft can break loose from the Earth's gravity and enter an orbit around the Sun, like that of a planet. If it then orbits the Sun with the same period as the Earth--one year--it may keep a fixed position relative to Earth. ... If the distance is just right--about 4 times the distance to the Moon or 1/100 the distance to the Sun--the spacecraft, too, will need just one year to go around the Sun, and will keep its position between the Sun and the Earth. ...
... 22a.Starlight Aberration . ... 24a.The Rotating Earth . ... Seen from the boat, the flag always points to the rear, because in the boat's frame of reference, a wind with velocity ?u seems to be blowing. It always points in the same direction. ... The vector PA represents the velocity of light coming from Polaris at c=300,000 km/s. The vector AB represents the velocity ?u of Polaris relative to Earth, equal in size to the Earth's velocity u =30 km/s in its orbit, but in opposite direction. ...
The Discovery of the Galilean Satellites . ... Probably the most significent contribution that Galileo Galilei made to science was the discovery of the four satellites around Jupiter that are now named in his honor. Galileo first observed the moons of Jupiter on January 7, 1610 through a homemade telescope. He originally thought he saw three stars near Jupiter, strung out in a line through the planet. ... Galileo's Observations of Jupiter's Moons . ... Jupiter . ...