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Article #16846Re: A simple question about orbits
From: Uncle Al
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 00:00
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 00:00
31 lines
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2143 bytes
november@agate.net wrote:
>
> Why do the planets, and other bodies, revolve around our star in a
> relatively two-dimensional plane? By this, I mean the orbits of the
> planets (as well as astroids, etc.) seem to form a collective flat
> disc when modeled (I know Pluto's orbit is a little bit askew). Why
> not orbit three-dimensionally? A lot of galaxies and everything else
> related also seem to be rather two-dimensional in shape. Is this just
> a property of gravity that really has no explaination?
>
> I'm asking this just out of curiosity. I'm not yet very knowledgable
> in this subject.
The condensation of a nebula (or general mess of dilute star stuff)
conserves angular momentum. As the average radius shrinks the stuff
spins faster and faster into a disk. When it gets lumpy due to
turbulence, collision, and gravitationally-driven accretive
inhomogeneity, the lumps orbit in that plane.
Spin a lump of loose dough in mid-air and see if you can get anything
other than a naked pizza.
--
Uncle Al Schwartz
UncleAl0@ix.netcom.com ("zero" before @)
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X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 11339c,1b907b386f1b2473 X-Google-Attributes: gid11339c,public X-Google-Thread: 10b271,1b907b386f1b2473 X-Google-Attributes: gid10b271,public X-Google-Thread: f871d,1b907b386f1b2473 X-Google-Attributes: gidf871d,public From: Uncle Al <UncleAl0@ix.netcom.com> Subject: Re: A simple question about orbits Date: 1998/02/12 Message-ID: <34E382A0.DDE@ix.netcom.com> X-Deja-AN: 324592867 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit References: <34e34ab0.860826@news.agate.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: UncleAl0@ix.netcom.com To: november@agate.net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Organization: The Noble Krell X-NETCOM-Date: Thu Feb 12 5:08:24 PM CST 1998 Newsgroups: sci.physics,alt.sci.planetary,gac.physics.astronomy