Is it possible to observation changes in the barycenter of the solar system?
There are graphics showing changes barycenter but they are made on the basis of computer simulation (E.g.: here and here).
It is possible? If so, how?
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One can extraolate from the motion of the sun in the galaxy to the barycenter (total solar) system http://solar-center.stanford.edu/FAQ/Qsolsysspeed.html . The barycenter after all is within the sun's volume. – anna v May 18 '16 at 10:26
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The barycenter is not within the Sun's volume for most of the time. – ProfRob May 18 '16 at 12:00
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What do you mean by "changes in the barycentre"? Do you mean the relative position of the Sun and the barycentre? – ProfRob May 18 '16 at 12:02
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Yes, as I explained at http://physics.stackexchange.com/a/246552/59023. – honeste_vivere May 18 '16 at 12:48
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@RobJeffries yes you are right from this plot http://www.education.com/science-fair/article/barycenter-balancing-point/ . seems the times I looked it was within the volume :( . Anyway it is really close in astronomic units. – anna v May 18 '16 at 14:06
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Yes. This can be done (and is done typically) using systems of pulsars, especially in 'Pulsar Timing Arrays'. See for example https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Pulsars_and_neutron_stars/Using_pulsar_timing_to_study_(and_navigate)_the_solar_system.
Pulsars (specifically millisecond pulsars, MSP) can be incredibly accurate clocks. Relative motion between the observer (earth) and the source (pulsar) produce doppler effects which can be used to measure the relative motion. Measuring deviations in the pulse arrival times can then be used to calculate the motion of the earth and solar system, and this can be done to very high accuracy.
PTA hope to detect gravitational waves from supermassive black holes. To do this, one of the first steps is to find (and correct for) the motion of the solar system.
See also: Champion et al. 2010 - Measuring the mass of solar system planets using pulsar timing
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