y does the plutos orbit cut through neptunes??
2007-12-26 03:12:14 · 9 answers · asked by naomi clark 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It's been thought that Pluto isn't a true planet, but a part of the Kuiper belt. It's an object that had it's near-circular orbit affected by something - a collision, another object wandering by the sun, or other similar circumstances - which gave it an odd-ball, elliptical orbit - like the orbit of a comet.
2007-12-26 03:30:25 · answer #1 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. Pluto does sometimes get closer to the Sun than Neptune, but Pluto's orbit is tilted quite a bit to Neptune's, and at the place where they are the same distance from the Sun, the two orbits pass above and below each other and are far apart.
2007-12-26 14:15:15 · answer #2 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pluto's orbit is highly elliptical, and does occasionally come closer to the Sun than Neptune, which is one of the primary reasons the IAU demoted it from planet status.
Despite Pluto's orbit apparently crossing that of Neptune when viewed from directly above the ecliptic, the two objects cannot collide. This is because their orbits are aligned so that Pluto and Neptune can never approach closely.
2007-12-26 11:21:46 · answer #3 · answered by Brian K² 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is believed that Pluto was once a satellite of Neptune, and was subsequently ejected from its orbit.
Since 1999, Pluto has been the most distant planet in the solar system.
2007-12-26 15:28:24 · answer #4 · answered by David H. 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Since this one has already been answered, I'll just throw in one little Pluto "factoid" that's a bit off the subject; since it's discovery in 1930 it has only (by my calculations) made about one third of an orbit about the Sun.
How's that for a long, long year?
(Have I got that right? I doubt if I'm very far off, anyway)
2007-12-26 22:46:33 · answer #5 · answered by Robert K 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it does. It's orbit is also at an angle apart from the 'common' planatery orbits we see for every other planet.
oh, Why? Because it is not really a planet; only a particularly large Kupier Belt Object. It's orbit is more elliptical than the other planets.
2007-12-26 11:20:03 · answer #6 · answered by Edward S 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because it's orbit is more elliptical than circular. This is probably because it's not really a planet and is the debris of catastrophic collision. Much like the comets and asteroids, but too far from the sun to be pulled into the inner solar system.
2007-12-26 11:19:24 · answer #7 · answered by Bob K 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Pluto's orbit is more eliptical than being cicular. Neptune's orbit is cicular and pluto's orbit is eliptical. The differences between the orbit's is the cause.
2007-12-26 11:24:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
neptune is made of gas, pluto is solid. solids move less freely than gasses causing them to move differently.
2007-12-26 11:43:14 · answer #9 · answered by skerg 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋