layout of the planets in the solar system.

I've always wondered this. I remember back in school when we looked at a model of the solar system all the planets were laid out in nice circles emanating out from the central point being the sun. Now we do really know the actual locations of the various planets in relation to the earth. IE- here is the earth but say jupiter for instance is located above the earth or say below the earths location going in a different orbital direction then we are?

reply to post by w810i


There is no above in space, like no left and right up and down.

Thousands of years of people tracking planets motions have told us how our solar system works.

I can't remember where I saw it, but somebody made a video that we are, in actuality, moving forward through space and following the sun in a spiral rather than how we traditionally thought of the solar system (i.e. Moving around a central star). It's a very interesting video, I hope somebody who reads this knows the video I'm talking about.

reply to post by mikegrouchy


Thanks

As far as I am aware, each planet is orbiting Sol in the same direction. Each planet has a different ecliptic. So despite the the insistence of another post here, take a look at Celestia...That should help answer your question...

None of the planets orbit the Sun in a spiral. That is simply an effect of the forward motion of the entire Solar System as it moves through space.

Originally posted by w810i
I've always wondered this. I remember back in school when we looked at a model of the solar system all the planets were laid out in nice circles emanating out from the central point being the sun. Now we do really know the actual locations of the various planets in relation to the earth. IE- here is the earth but say jupiter for instance is located above the earth or say below the earths location going in a different orbital direction then we are?

Yes, we can SEE the planets, accurately plot their positions, analyze their motions and calculate future movements. Astronomers have been quite good at this for hundreds of years (thousands, in some cases). Read-up on Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton.

All of the major planets (8 of them, as recognized by the International Astronautical Union) orbit within a few degrees of the same plane, called the ecliptic, so the layout of the model you saw was basically accurate (except for the relative sizes of the Sun & planets to each other and to the distances between them, which had too be simplified to fit in a classroom model).

Smaller objects (dwarf planets (like Pluto, according to the IAU), asteroids, comets, etc.) often orbit at a higher angle to the ecliptic.

Hope this helps!