🚀 go-pugleaf

RetroBBS NetNews Server

Inspired by RockSolid Light RIP Retro Guy

Article View: sci.physics
Article #16846

Re: A simple question about orbits

#16846
From: Uncle Al
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 00:00
31 lines
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 @)
http://pw2.netcom.com/~uncleal0/uncleal.htm
http://www.ultra.net.au/~wisby/uncleal.htm
http://www.guyy.demon.co.uk/uncleal/uncleal.htm
 (Toxic URLs! Unsafe for children, Democrats, and most mammals)
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"  The Net!
Technical Details
Message-ID: <34E382A0.DDE@ix.netcom.com>
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!unknown!not-for-mail
References: <34e34ab0.860826@news.agate.net>

Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
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