Do the planets in the solar system crash? Is it true that Pluto andNeptune have intersecting orbits and that at one point Neptune is thefarthest planet from the sun?

All the planets in the solar system have individual orbits. The orbits don't intersect so none of the planets can crash. Pluto and Neptune are in a unique situation. They look like they might crash, but they really won't.

Right now, Pluto is the eighth planet from the Sun although it is usually the ninth. It moved closer to the Sun than Neptune in 1979 and will stay there until 1999. It looks like Pluto crossed Neptune's orbit, but it didn't.

Pluto's orbit around the sun is very elliptical, or egg-shaped. Neptune's orbit is more circular. Also, Pluto's orbit is tilted 17 degrees above Neptune's orbit. Because of the tilt, the narrow part of Pluto's orbit dips closer to the sun than Neptune.


Submitted by Ken (Ontario, Canada)
Submitted by Ryan (Nova Scotia, Canada)
(September 22, 1997)


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