I've always wanted to meet a space person."
"Well," replied the other being, "you are a space person, too."
"I am?" said Graham incredulously. "I'm afraid you're mistaken ... I am
from earth."
"And where, my little friend, do you think earth is? Is it not suspended
in space like all of the other planets? And does it not make a complete
rotation upon its axis every twenty-three hours, fifty-six minutes and
four point zero-nine seconds, and at a speed of a thousand miles per
hour? And does it not orbit your sun every three hundred and sixty-five
days and six hours and nine minutes and nine point five seconds, and at
a speed of about twenty miles per second? And does it not revolve along
with the moon, around a common center of gravity, and move with the
entire solar system through your local star system at thirteen miles per
second? And does not your local star system move within the Milky Way at
the rate of two hundred miles per second, and does not the Milky Way
drift with respect to the remote external galaxies at the rate of one
hundred miles per second and in all different directions, and does not
your galaxy itself make a complete rotation about an axis every two
hundred million years? And does it not travel through space with over a
hundred billion other suns of its galactic family, not to mention an
untold number of other planets?"
Graham nodded meekly.
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