[Cheryl wrote:] Gary -- Thanks for your reply. So everything turns as a whole -- even if it's not anchored to the ground. Would that mean that if a hummingbird was perched on one of the horses on a turning merry-go-round and decided to fly up to the third horse and land that it would take exactly the same amount of time as if the hummingbird decided to fly to the third horse in BACK of it? [Gary writes:] Yes, but do remember metaphors are metaphors and there really isn't a one to EXACTLY match the situation of the earth in the heavens...other than the earth in the heavens! Also, as to Newton's First, here's an example. A ball on the floor of a train moving at 60 mph is carried, not by the train, once in motion but the fact that it will keep moving at 60 mph until an outside force acts upon it to slow it down (or speed it up, possibly). Technically, the fact that the ball rests on the train floor doesn't account for its continued motion. Without resisting forces such as air and gravity and physical obstacles (such as train walls), the ball would roll forever once put in motion. Technically. That's my understanding of Newton's First. If anyone else can clarify, feel free. Sincerely, Gary Shelton