The discussion revolves around the geometric relationship between Earth, Mars, and the Sun, specifically exploring the possibility of forming a 90-degree angle with Mars as the vertex. The subject area is astronomy, focusing on planetary orbits and angular relationships.
The conversation is ongoing, with some participants providing insights into the geometric constraints of planetary orbits. There is an indication that the original poster may not be approaching this as a formal homework problem, which has prompted some participants to clarify the context of the question.
There is a mention of homework rules regarding the posting of questions in the appropriate sections, suggesting that the original poster's intent may not align with typical homework inquiries.
Thank you!Charles Link said:If you are saying to put Mars at the 90 degree vertex, I think the answer is no. If you draw a line from the sun to Mars, and remembering that Mars is in a nearly circular orbit farther out from Earth's nearly circular orbit, the 90 degree direction, either way from Mars, will be tangent to the path of the circular orbit of Mars, and can't possibly intersect Earth's orbit, which is a circle with the same center (the sun) as the orbit of Mars. ## \\ ## I'm going to assume this is not a homework problem=homework problems need to go in the homework section, and the OP is required to fill out the homework template...