BA in National Geographic

[heliopause]

According to National Geographic, "Pluto's orbit is unlike any other planet. It is the only planet to travel an elliptical orbit (emphasis mine), and uncharacteristically crosses the orbit of its closest planetary neighbor, Neptune."

They seem to think we're all spinning around in circles.

Here's the link: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0216_Pluto.html

[jfribrg]

Of course we know what they meant: that the orbit of Pluto is the most eccentric. Farther down in that link, they mention that the Oort cloud is a ring. Wouldn't it best be described as a sphere?

[heliopause]

On 2002-10-08 17:50, jfribrg wrote:
Of course we know what they meant: that the orbit of Pluto is the most eccentric. Farther down in that link, they mention that the Oort cloud is a ring. Wouldn't it best be described as a sphere?




It's nitpicky, yes. But it's lazy journalism from a respected source. And I think they're referring to the Kuiper belt rather than the Oort Cloud. The Oort cloud is spherical. Is the Kuiper belt truly a ring?

(corrected typo)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: heliopause on 2002-10-09 01:37 ]</font>

[Doodler]

Isn't Mercury on a fairly elliptical orbit, hence the precessions that made it so difficult to nail down?

[David Hall]

On 2002-10-09 01:36, heliopause wrote:

The Oort cloud is spherical. Is the Kuiper belt truly a ring?

(corrected typo)


I remember reading recently on some page about the Oort cloud that suggested the distribution is not entirely even. There is probably a much greater concentration in a ring generally aligned with the ecliptical plane. But there's probably also a less dense distribution of objects spread out in a full sphere.

[Kaptain K]

On 2002-10-09 08:35, Doodler wrote:
Isn't Mercury on a fairly elliptical orbit, hence the precessions that made it so difficult to nail down?

You are correct.

Mercury is second to Pluto in both inclination and eccentriciy.