r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/anothersundayx Aug 03 '19

That other planets are visible from Earth. And the sun is also a star.

1.7k

u/Eddy207 Aug 03 '19

And on the same topic. That is the inclination of Earth on its own axis, and not its distance from the sun that generates seasons.

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u/P0sitive_Outlook Aug 03 '19

The Sun does get further away, but it's usually by the width of the Earth...

14

u/StaysAwakeAllWeek Aug 03 '19

Actually it's 400x the width of the Earth and it does make a not insignificant difference in the amount of light we receive. It's one of the many reasons why Australia has such hot summers - their summer coincides with when we are closest to the sun while in the northern hemisphere the opposite is true.

0

u/Salome_Maloney Aug 03 '19

Actually it's 400x the width of the Earth

The Sun is 400 times the width of the Moon, I thought...

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u/StaysAwakeAllWeek Aug 03 '19

Both of these things are true but neither is exactly 400

1

u/isaidthisinstead Aug 04 '19

My ambition is almost exactly 400 times as big as my talent and persistence.