In space, if the ISS is traveling at 17,150 miles per hour how does it look so stationary in the video from the Dragon capsule. Also How does it dock so precisely when it is moving so fast.
In: Physics
It’s about *relative* speed.
Imagine you and I are on the bullet train which is travelling at its top speed. We’re both rocketing along at 200mph, but inside the cabin, we’re actually stationary in relation to each other.
So, if I throw a tennis ball to you and throw it at 5mph in the direction the train is moving, that ball is only moving at 5mph relative to you. You see the ball coming towards you at about average walking pace so it’s easy to catch… but to someone standing by the side of the track, when I throw that ball, it’s moving at 205mph relative to them. You’ve just caught a ball travelling at 205mph.
Think of it this way: right now the Earth is spinning at 1000mph. It’s orbiting the sun at about 66,000mph, and our solar system is orbiting around the center of the galaxy at 828,000mph.
So, from the perspective of someone standing at the center of the galaxy, when you park your car, you’re manuevering it into a parking spot while travelling nearly a million miles per hour.
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