Why do planets orbit at the same level as each other?

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By that, I mean, why do planets always orbit… horizontally(?) around the sun. Why not vertically? Space is a 3D space, I’d course. So why would the planets not end up going up as well as sideways?

Edit: Space science is a lot more complicated than I thought, and I am here for this rabbit hole. Ty everyone for your answers so far!

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Anonymous 0 Comments

You have also to realize that the circles/ellipses described is usually a relative-to-the-sun description for basic knowledge – so that you can introduce it to people learning about it without getting too technical at first. The reality is that even the sun moves through space (seldom shown in these depictions) which means the circles/ellipses are shown as if it all moved in a straight line towards your viewpoint, while if seen from any other point beside it all, it looks more like open corkscrews following the sun.

Even this gif is a simplification and not entirely correct, but you get the gist of it: [https://tenor.com/view/earth-and-sun-earth-orbeting-sun-flat-earth-planets-orbits-gif-15150791](https://tenor.com/view/earth-and-sun-earth-orbeting-sun-flat-earth-planets-orbits-gif-15150791)

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