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Something I've never understood: Why is our known solar-system on a flat plane? Why don't the planets all have different orbital axis? Is there a body (or bo
by Jaruzel 8y ago
Something I've never understood: Why is our known solar-system on a flat plane? Why don't the planets all have different orbital axis? Is there a body (or bodies) out there exerting a force on the planets to keep them all in the same plane?
- DavidSJ 8y agoIt’s not perfectly flat, but somewhat close to it, because all of our solar system’s planets formed from the same accretion disk, during which time there was opportunity for exchange of angular momentum.
- archevel 8y agoThere is a brief explanation here: http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/about-us/57-our-solar-system/planets-and-dwarf-planets/orbits/242-why-do-all-the-planets-orbit-in-the-same-plane-intermediate http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/about-us/57-our-solar-syste...
- Jaruzel 8y agoThx! Perfect succinct explanation, including 'so why is the disc of dust flat' question that immediately followed!