2007-02-01 05:27:18 · 5 answers · asked by somen_p 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The planets are roughly in the same plane because basically they are the remnants of the spinning gas and dust cloud from which the sun was born.
Comets have orbits at all kinds of angles to the plane of the Solar System, because they are interlopers from deep space.
E Jizzy (above) - yes Pluto's eccentric orbit is one of the reasons it is not considered a planet. It is not proven, but is could be the remnant of a giant comet that entered the inner Solar System millions of years in the past.
2007-02-01 06:18:59 · answer #1 · answered by nick s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The solar system was formed by Gravity & Rotation
The planets fromes from an "acretion disk", a flat plate of matter that was the pre-solar system. Much like water flowing into a drain, some spin resulted and this allows some mater to be kept away from the central point.
BUT you can only have one surviving spin direction, otherwise thing just colide, and fall to the center. So slowly out the caos a single spin direction emerges.
Ast you can only spin in one direction, anything not on that spin falls into the disk, which becomes flat.
Because the original disk had to be flat, the resulting solar system is flat.
2007-02-01 13:40:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Their orbits all lie essentially in the same plane, although not exactly (most are only off by a degree or two). They do this because the original nebula that our solar system formed from was spinning. When you spin something, it tends to get flat - that's why the guys who make pizza dough toss it into the air while spinning it (well, that it and it makes for a good show). Or those pencils with the furry ends on them that you spin between your hands to make the fur flatten out.
2007-02-01 13:37:14 · answer #3 · answered by kris 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most of them are on the same plane. pluto's orbit isn't. but pluto is no longer considered a planet. that's not the reason why it's not considered a planet though.
2007-02-01 13:41:09 · answer #4 · answered by JizZ E. Jizzy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No: you only asked for a reason if they were but this is not fair.
The theories vary as each planet formed within the matter cloud surrounding the sun they collided with many objects and this changed their orientation (none rotate perfectly vertical to the suns rotation (the earths is off by about 23.5)) and it changed their revolution.
2007-02-01 13:33:36 · answer #5 · answered by startrektosnewenterpriselovethem 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋