Question by Ravi: Do all the planets in our solar system orbit the sun in a single plane?
Do all the planets orbit the sun in a single plane, or do they have their own planes of orbit (forming an ellipsoid)?
I suspect that they are not all in a single plane. This is because, when we see the planets in the sky, we need to look above into the sky, each planet seen at various angles from the Earth’s horizon. Further, if all the planets were in the same plane we should not have been able to see them.
If they are not in a single plane, is it only for ease of representing that all pictures of the solar system depict the planets in a single plane with the sun?
Best answer:
Answer by Levi
They are very close to all being in the same plane, but slightly off. The reason we see planets up in the sky is because the earth is on a tilted angle, so it’s like we’re looking out with our heads tilted to one side which is why planets appear above the horizon.
What do you think? Answer below!
Tags: orbit, plane, planets, single, solar, system
They’re approximately in a single plane, but some of the orbits tilt more than others. Pluto’s orbit tilts by 17 degrees, one of the reasons it’s not a major planet.
Far, far out in the solar system, in the Oort cloud, the objects there are in a nearly spherical swarm.
just imagine small spherical object (planet) on its own big oval ring….
x 9 with the sun in the middle of it all…. so no, not all on one plane
They are not quite on the same plane but very close. All eight planet orbits are within 7 degrees of Earth’s orbit while the dwarf planet Pluto’s is at 17 degrees.
The Moon is also close to this plane. This means that the Moon, Sun and planets rise in the east and set in the west and follow a very close to the same path across the sky.
No, but given the sheer size of the solar system the difference isn’t that great. The only planet that revolved at a considerable angle to the plane was Pluto, but as you know it has been reclassified as a dwarf planet.
They aren’t precisely in the same plane, but they are fairly close. This is not a coincidence, it has to do with the forces involved during the formation of star systems. There are other objects, such as some KBOs and comets, which orbit well outside that plane, but no planets.
yes…. but if you find a site like this one, you can get a pretty fair idea of how they’re really tilted al little …..
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/solarsys/revolution.html