In this diagram, two orbiting planets exhibit a slight tilt compared to the spin axis of their host sun. (Malena Rice image)
In this diagram, two orbiting planets exhibit a slight tilt compared to the spin axis of their host sun. (Malena Rice image) - Understanding that even planets in pristine solar systems have some orbital tilt puts Earth's solar system into a larger perspective, researchers say. Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with LinkedIn Share this with Email Scientists have long puzzled over why all of the planets in Earth's solar system have slightly slanted orbits around the sun. But a new, Yale-led study suggests this phenomenon may not be so unusual after all. Even in -pristine- solar systems, planets exhibit a bit of a tilt. Astronomers had long assumed that planets with pitchy, angled orbits - orbits that don't align with the spin axis of their host sun - are the result of some high-level cosmic hubbub, such as nearby stars and planets pushing around their neighbors. But a new study published in The Astronomical Journal indicates otherwise.
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