# Why is the position of the Sun so fixed? [duplicate]

Please correct me if I tell something wrong.

As we already know, a planet (e.g. Earth) remains on its orbit due to the gravity of the Sun.

If the Sun's gravity were not there, the Earth would be thrown into the space. Now we know, why the Earth stays there.

My question is, what is holding the Sun at its place? Why is the Sun so fixed?

Is there any force that keeps the Sun so fixed?

• If you are a passenger in a car driving fast and straight down a smooth highway and there are no lights, you might imagine that the car isn't moving, but it is. What makes you think that the Sun is fixed at all? Relative to what? – uhoh Jul 10 '20 at 10:22
• – uhoh Jul 10 '20 at 11:05
• Since the straight and smooth highway is so long, we can see cars many kilometers in the distance. Until we get close enough to them to resolve some details, they are just single spots of light, and it is impossible to tell if the distance is constant or is increasing or decreasing. – uhoh Jul 10 '20 at 11:08
• @uhoh, thank you very much, it has become fairly clear to me. ( in short, the sun is not fixed) – r_albl Jul 10 '20 at 12:15
• yep you are right, that is another question! You can post it as a new question. In Stack Exchange comments are only for clarifying the existing question and answer posts. You can ask as many quality questions as you like, one at a time. – uhoh Jul 10 '20 at 13:19

If by "fixed" you mean stationary then the sun is not fixed. It is in orbit around the centre of the Milky Way, travelling at a speed of around $$250$$ km/s relative to the centre of the Milky Way. At this speed it travels one astronomical unit (the average distance between the earth and the sun) every seven days, and travels one light-year in about $$1,190$$ years. In other words, its speed relative to the centre of the Milky Way is about $$0.1 \%$$ of the speed of light.