I like it as a concept, but I need something simpler. It doesn't work in the context of the sentence. The sentence is: "...the planets go around the sun like ________. I can't stop the narrative and spend a lot of time on this, as I'm trying to get to another point.
What I want to achieve here is a quick visual image. "Ball swinging at the end of the string" doesn't do it unless you also mention that the person holding the string is swinging the ball around--and that's way too complicated. (After all, if you don't add that last part, it could be a pendulum.)
Obviously, I'll have to choose between a "cars on a race track" or "horses on a merry-go-round," though neither is perfect.