Do the planets orbit the sun on a 2-D plane?
1 Answer
Mar 7, 2016
No, the planets do not orbit the Sun in a 2D plane.
Explanation:
Each planet orbits the sun in a slightly different plane. This is called inclination. The orbit of the Earth, the plane of the ecliptic, is defined to be the 0° plane. Hence, by definition, the inclination of the Earth's orbit is 0°.
The orbital inclination of the planets relative to the ecliptic are:
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune