The Non-Revolution of the Earth
The motion of the earth in space can be disproved by a comparison between the supposed speed of the earth and that of the other planets, if we base our considerations on the principle that a body in motion creates an apparent speed equal to its own, in bodies it encounters, which is usually demonstrated by the experiment of a moving vehicle, such as a train. It is difficult to judge at first sight whether it is the train, or what can be seen outside which is moving away, but one fact is certain, i.e. that the two speeds, one of which is real and the other apparent, are equal. For this reason, if the earth were in motion, it would create in the planets and constellations an initial apparent speed equal to its own. Consequently, there can be no speed in the heavens lower than that of the earth’s, since it represents a basic speed from which the apparent motions would be derived; but as it can be seen, the displacement of the constellations and of the planets, with the exception of Mercury and Venus, is slower than the supposed speed of the earth, which under the circumstances stated above, is a material impossibility. It should, moreover, be considered that the real speeds of the planets have to be added to the apparent motions created by the supposed movement of the earth, with the result that the planets ought to pass before us like a flash... Click Here to learn more.
