Why dont some orbit from top to bottom, and some around?
2006-09-26 17:32:02 · 8 answers · asked by Brian W 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Planets formed from a planetary acretion disk of dust and rocks and gas. The ecretion disk forms in line with the sun's equator. Other bodies like comets and rough bodies (those with a possible origin beyond the solar system) often do orbit at different angles
2006-09-26 17:38:01 · answer #1 · answered by slatibartfast 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually they're not at the same angle. Pluto for example has quite a sharp tilt to it's axis.
Some significant examples of retrograde motion in the solar system:
Venus rotates slowly in the retrograde direction.
The moons Ananke, Carme, Pasiphaë and Sinope all orbit Jupiter in a retrograde direction. Many other minor moons of Jupiter orbit retrograde.
The moon Phoebe orbits Saturn in a retrograde direction, and is thought to be a captured Kuiper belt object.
The moon Triton orbits Neptune in a retrograde direction, and is also thought to be a captured Kuiper belt object.
The planet Uranus has an axial tilt of 98°, which is near 90°, and can be considered to be rotating in a retrograde direction depending on one's interpretation.
2006-09-26 18:08:09 · answer #2 · answered by hera_of_athens 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most of the planets orbit in about the same plane because they formed after the protoplanetary nebula had defined itself into a flattened disk. As the nebula contracted, collisions between the particles in it caused the variance in angular momentum to lessen, which aligned the direction of their angular momentum vectors, resulting in a flattened accretion disk orbiting the recently formed sun.
2006-09-26 22:54:47 · answer #3 · answered by David S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
angular momentum. Centrifugal force. If you pick up several different lengths of string, each with a weight attached to the end and swing them around in a circle, would you expect them all to rotate in roughly the same plane or to each rotate in different planes? The same plane of course, plantary orbits settled out in much the same way.
2006-09-26 17:39:27 · answer #4 · answered by memac63 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, they don't all perfectly line up that way, however it has to do with gravitational pull, same as magnets tend to line up.
2006-09-26 17:40:03 · answer #5 · answered by cyanne2ak 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because God felt it made more sense that way.
2006-09-26 17:42:20 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because the sun is spinning
2006-09-27 14:44:42 · answer #7 · answered by hondacobra 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not all planets do...
2006-09-26 18:37:35 · answer #8 · answered by ashwin_hariharan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋