Oh, I interpreted this headline slightly differently--I was expecting to see a set of epicycle-orbit-diagrams given the Moon as the center of the Solar system.

For diagrams with Earth as the center, see: http://www.dynamicdiagrams.com/work/orrery/

Launch the Flash simulation, click on Tychonian, and trace a planet. Venus is unexpected.

This is neat to see, though I'll admit I was hoping to see broader views of what the sky would look like if, say, Jupiter or Saturn were that close to us.

If you're interested in a direct size comparison like this, I've recently made a poster for our campus planetarium that shows all the planets at once. It's CC licensed, so you're welcome to print your own copy:

http://www.slimy.com/~steuard/teaching/solarsystem/

I've recently bought my first telescope, a 6" reflector. I'm glad I bought it instead of a new iPad or Retina MacBook.

I fear that with the current urbanization trends, in the near future most people will never live to see a dark night sky.

Considering that astronomy played a huge role in early human history and civilization, I think we're losing a huge part of the human experience.

Wayne Rosing has [1] a company that put telescopes out into places with good viewing conditions, a camera sensor, and an internet connection. Scheduling time on his 'mini' telescopes was pretty easy at one time.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Cumbres_Observatory_Global_...

Extend your arm with a quarter between your thumb and index. That's the moon.

Now take a coaster in your hand. That's our earth as seen from the moon.

also of interest

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Star-size...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Planet-st...

It would be pretty cool to be a moon orbiting Jupiter

Has anyone done the math on what would happen if we were? Would the heat coming from Jupiter be enough to keep Earth warm enough for life?

Jupiter's radiation belts make for a very inhospitable place.

http://www.astrobio.net/exclusive/3010/hiding-from-jupiters-...

No, but you might get enough heat from tidal forces.

(like here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_%28moon%29#Tidal_heating )