~Do All Planets Tilt on Their Axis?~

[Jeanway 0]

Do all planets have seasons?

[nik 0]

That's a tough question since seasons are determined by much more than axial tilt. Mercury and Venus have spin axes nearly coplanar with the solar system. Uranus on the other hand, has an axial tilt of almost 90 degrees! Atmospheres are also a pretty big component of seasonal changes. Another interesting point is that Venus' day is only slightly longer than its orbit, so one side of Venus faces the sun for a very long time.

 

 

Here's another interesting question: Do you have any idea why the solar system is

a "disk?" That is, why are all the planetary oribits more-or-less in the same plane?

The answer is actually fairly simple.

[fenriz275 0]

Does it have something to do centrifugal force?

[Jeanway 0]

So why is the solar sysem 'disk' shaped nik?

[Odie 0]

The question you ask is a simple one, but answer is not. It has to do with the Newton’s Three Laws of Gravity. The First Law states that an object that is not being pushed or pulled by some force will stay still, or will keep moving in a straight line at a steady speed. The Second Law explains how a force acts on an object. An object accelerates in the direction the force is moving it. The Third Law states that if an object is pushed or pulled, it will push or pull equally in the opposite direction.

 

To see this in action you will need ball and string. Try the string to ball and make sure the string is secured to the ball. Start to spin the ball very fast. As you see your hand becomes the center of gravity just like the sun. Your hand controls the speed and direction of the ball. The ball, just like the planets, reminds parral to the center of gravity, which gives it the appearance of an disk.

 

I hope this will give a better understanding. If not I will try to find a better one.

Edited July 31, 2004 by Odie

[WEAREBORG4102 0]

She is correct.

[Odie 0]

Not bad for someone who has been out of high school for 12 years.

Edited August 1, 2004 by Odie