What is the most unusual orbit of a planet, asteroid etc., in our solar system? Srong hint:it does involve the

Question

earth...

Hint was that it did have a relationship with earth.

Closer orbit than Venus and Mercury.

Answer 1

Would that be the horseshoe orbit of Cruithne?

Answer 2

One of the most unusual orbits is that of the moon. In it's orbit it weaves in and out of the orbit of the earth, and it's orbit is always concave to the sun (it really orbits the sun in an orbit greatly perturbed by the earth).

There is one asteroid, however (and I cannot recall it's name) that orbits the sun in an orbit in step with the earth. As I recall it has a huge "8" shaped orbit.

The asteroid Ida has a moon (dactyl), and the orbit of this moon must be unusual if viewed from a point outside the solar system.

Answer 3

You are probably talking about Venus. Venus spins backward on its poles so the sun rises in the west and sets in the east - the opposite of earth. It also takes 243 Earth days to make one Venus day and Venus' day is longer than its year which is 225 earth days. Venus is also the closest planet to the earth's mass (80% of the mass of Earth) and to its orbital distance from the sun. That's why some astronomers call it earth's twin. However, because of the dense cloud cover, Venus' average temperature is the hottest of all planets at 482º C (900º F) - hot enough to melt lead - compared to earth's average temperature of 15º C (59º F).

Answer 4

You're obviously looking for a specific answer while completely disregarding that you've asked a very subjective question. (One that could have many answers depending on how you define "unusual.")

So, care to define "unusual" for us? Or are you just going to pick the person who happens to guess the answer that you want to hear?

Frankly, I'd pick Venus because it's orbit is nearly circular...and that is very unusual. High inclinations and eccentricities are a dime a dozen.

Answer 5

I would think Uranus. Uranus rolls around the sun like a tire on a track.