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 their own orbits. The orbits
don't overlap so none of the planets can crash. Pluto and Neptune look
like they might crash, but they won't either.
Pluto is usually the farthest planet from the Sun. But in 1979, it moved
closer to the Sun than Neptune and will stay there until 1999. How can
Pluto move closer than Neptune without crossing Neptune's orbit?
Pluto has a very egg-shaped orbit. Neptune has more of a circle-shaped
orbit. Pluto's orbit is also tilted higher than Neptune's orbit. This
takes Pluto's orbit inside Neptune's orbit--but never across it.
Submitted by Ken (Ontario, Canada)
Submitted by Ryan (Nova Scotia, Canada)
(September 22, 1997)
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