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Rorkster2
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Pretty straight forward. The same generally holds true with moons belonging to the same planet. If we don't have concrete reason why this occurs, are their any strong theories?
Rorkster2 said:Pretty straight forward. The same generally holds true with moons belonging to the same planet. If we don't have concrete reason why this occurs, are their any strong theories?
twofish-quant said:One way of thinking about it is that if you have gas and dust in wildly different inclinations they will collide and gravitationally interact with each other until they fall into the same plane.
It's pretty standard for gravitationally bound objects to form disks, you see this in galaxies and in gas disks around black holes.
The reason why planets orbit stars on the same dimensional plane is due to the laws of physics, specifically the law of conservation of angular momentum. When a cloud of gas and dust collapses to form a star and its surrounding planets, the angular momentum of the original cloud is conserved, leading to a flat, disc-like shape. This is known as the accretion disk and is responsible for the planets orbiting in the same plane.
No, it is not a coincidence. As mentioned before, the law of conservation of angular momentum plays a crucial role in the formation of planetary systems. Additionally, the flat shape of the accretion disk allows for more efficient and stable accretion of material onto the growing star, further reinforcing the planets' orbit in the same plane.
While the majority of planets do orbit their stars on a flat plane, there are some exceptions. For example, the dwarf planet Pluto has a highly inclined orbit compared to the rest of the planets in our solar system. This can be attributed to external forces, such as gravitational interactions with other planets, disrupting its original orbit.
It is possible for planets to orbit stars on multiple planes, but it is not common. This type of planetary system is known as a "tilted system" and is usually the result of a major disruption, such as a collision with another planet or a close encounter with a passing star.
Scientists study the orbital plane of planets by observing the transit method, where they look for dips in a star's brightness as a planet passes in front of it. By measuring the dip in brightness and the duration of the transit, scientists can determine the size and distance of the planet from its star, as well as its orbital plane. They can also use spectroscopy to analyze the star's light and detect any wobbling caused by the planet's gravitational pull, further confirming the orbital plane.