Don_DickleHow come planets move around in a circle for left to right or whatever? Why not a up and down circle like a target logo? I can explain further. thanks ahead of time.
In space there is no up and down.
Ok the planets move in a circle laying down. How come not a circle standing upright?
Lumidaub
artifexIf you turn your head 90 degrees it would look like up and down.
If you’re asking why there seems to be a North and South for the solar system and the galaxy in general it’s because the giant clouds of matter that coalesced to make the stars began to spin around the center of mass due to gravity. As more mass was accumulated the spinning became more pronounced as everything “fell into line”
Ok I think i understand. So at 90 degrees the planets do not look like going around? But do they look like they are going over it?
667It all depends on your reference point. Typically when orbits are depicted for human understanding, they’re given a top-down view. Think like Open Street Maps. It could be depicted on its side, like watching race cars around a race track, but it can result in more visual distortions than a simple top-down view.
Alternatively, if you’re referring to orbits with high inclinations relative to the orbital plane, that also happens. Pluto, for example, has an inclination of ~17°, which is one of the reasons there are theories it was not part of the solar system when the solar system formed.