Is the solar system rotating on the same horizontal level or are they rotating in different positions in a 3D sphere around the sun?

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Is the solar system rotating on the same horizontal level or are they rotating in different positions in a 3D sphere around the sun?

In: Physics

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Anonymous 0 Comments

I assume by the solar system, you mean planets and other bodies orbiting around the sun

The short answer is, yes, predominantly most bodies orbiting the sun are in _almost_ the same horizontal level. I am quoting the relevant part and linking the article to explain why,

>Here’s the yes part of the answer, beginning with another astronomy definition; the Earth-sun plane is called the ecliptic. Most major planets in our solar system stay within 3 degrees of the ecliptic. Mercury is the exception; its orbit is inclined to the ecliptic by 7 degrees. The dwarf planet Pluto is a widely known exception to this rule. Its orbit is inclined to the ecliptic by more than 17 degrees.

>It makes sense that most large planets in our solar system stay near the ecliptic plane. Our solar system is believed to be about 4 1/2 billion years old. It’s thought to have arisen from an amorphous cloud of gas and dust in space. The original cloud was spinning, and this spin caused it to flatten out into a disk shape. The sun and planets are believed to have formed out of this disk, which is why, today, the planets still orbit in a single plane around our sun.

https://earthsky.org/space/planets-single-plane

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