Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Ecliptic, Rotate and Revolve 
Name: Evaristo O.
Status: other
Age: 40s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Thursday, September 12, 2002
Question:
As I have come to understand all of our nine planets rotate around the sun each on their own orbit, but my question is do all planets rotate on the same plane? Or are they depicted that way on all books just for ease of presentation?

Replies:
The planet REVOLVE (not rotate) in the same plane. {Rotate is about an axis, revolve is about an orbit.} There are 8 planets (Pluto has been classified as an escaped moon). The planets, within a few degrees, are in the same plane. Pluto, which is no longer classified as a planet, orbits in a plane about 17 degrees from the plane of the planets.

---Nathan A. Unterman


Click here to return to the Astronomy Archives

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory