"One can indeed deduce that the sun doesn't go around the earth. And yes, it does matter. Odd that Holmes didn't realize that." For what range of human activities does knowledge of the workings of the solar system matter? I always took the Holmes comment to mean that for the business of private investigating, it was irrelevant. Differentiating cigar ashes, on the other hand, matters.
Sailors used astrolabes to calculate their latitude. They had to have a mental model of the night sky.
There's also astrology. Whatever you may think of it, it's a serious endeavor for many (if not most) women. They use astrology and the motion of the planets, moon, and the sun for making a wide range of decisions.
As I pointed out for Holmes's concerns, if the earth was at the center of the solar system, it'd have to be large enough to anchor the planets. The surface of the earth would be 12,000 times greater. That's 12,000 earths. Such a world would have a tremendous impact on society.
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