[smallhadron]

Neither of the answers is quite right, though. Ignoring the rest of the mass in the solar system, the answer is that they both orbit the center of their combined masses. This happens to be located somewhere inside the sun's volume, but definitely not at it's center. So neither goes around the other.

That the earth goes around the sun is a pretty good approximation of the actual phenomenon, sure, but the approximation, in it's wrongness, loses the power of the real answer to actually explain what's happening.

Pedantry perhaps, but If we want people to have a better model, let's make it the right one.

[RiderOfGiraffes]

And let's have none of this Newtonian nonsense, let's all use GR in our everyday lives. Newtonian physics is clearly wrong, so if we want people to have a better model, let's make it the right one.

All models are wrong, some models are useful. The model that the Sun goes around the Earth is perfectly adequate for most people.

I'm not saying this is good, or that people shouldn't learn about things, but realising that other people have different priorities from mine was a big step in my life. For many people, their model is good enough.