Political Crossfire Forums

AceKingQueenJack · Joined: 19 Jun 2006 Posts: 297 Location: North Carolina

If pluto shares part of its orbit with Neptune, wouldnt they eventually collide?

bob.appleyard · Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 7478 Location: Manchestar, innit

Hmm, I don't know, but they don't have to be in synchronous orbit, nor do they have to be on roughly the same side.

Two stars, orbiting one another, share the same orbit, but they are unlikely to collide.

If they do collide, Pluto will just fly into Neptune's gassy expanse.

LostSoul3412 · Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 7657

If they do, then we won't have to worry about it being called a planet anymore.

The Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 8:20 pm Post subject:

No, it will not, unless the orbits of either planet radically change. Remember that space is three-dimensional. The planets do not all revolve around the sun in the same two-dimensional plane. The eccentric orbit of Pluto actually never intersects the path of Neptune, but passes millions of miles "above" it.

larryau · Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 26

No. They do not share a same orbit, they just intersect at two points. And no, they will not crash, not for millions of years at least.

toddytodd · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 2736

Is it Neptune that rotates on its side, or Uranus? I forget... :think:
Which ever one rotates on is side, some researchers say it was knocked on its side due to collision with another planet. Maybe Pluto will knock it back around if/when it hits? :lol:

The Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:35 am Post subject:

larryau wrote: No. They do not share a same orbit, they just intersect at two points. And no, they will not crash, not for millions of years at least.

No no... I wish I could draw a picture for you, but I don't have a good program to. Their orbits do not intersect. The orbit of Pluto is elliptical, and not on the same plane as that of Neptune. Damn, I wish I could explain this better. But imagine that if Neptune's orbit were on a flat plane like most simplistic models of the solar system, Pluto's orbit would be pitched 45 degrees upward, orbiting "diagonally" around the sun in relation to the orbital path we have set for Neptune. At the point at which the two would appear to intersect from a two-dimensional vantage, Pluto is actually millions of miles "above" or "below" Neptune's orbit.

Kt · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 3806

The Central Scrutinizer wrote: larryau wrote: No. They do not share a same orbit, they just intersect at two points. And no, they will not crash, not for millions of years at least.

No no... I wish I could draw a picture for you, but I don't have a good program to. Their orbits do not intersect. The orbit of Pluto is elliptical, and not on the same plane as that of Neptune. Damn, I wish I could explain this better. But imagine that if Neptune's orbit were on a flat plane like most simplistic models of the solar system, Pluto's orbit would be pitched 45 degrees upward, orbiting "diagonally" around the sun in relation to the orbital path we have set for Neptune. At the point at which the two would appear to intersect from a two-dimensional vantage, Pluto is actually millions of miles "above" or "below" Neptune's orbit.
You're explaining it just fine, I completely understand.

AceKingQueenJack · Joined: 19 Jun 2006 Posts: 297 Location: North Carolina

The Central Scrutinizer wrote: larryau wrote: No. They do not share a same orbit, they just intersect at two points. And no, they will not crash, not for millions of years at least.

No no... I wish I could draw a picture for you, but I don't have a good program to. Their orbits do not intersect. The orbit of Pluto is elliptical, and not on the same plane as that of Neptune. Damn, I wish I could explain this better. But imagine that if Neptune's orbit were on a flat plane like most simplistic models of the solar system, Pluto's orbit would be pitched 45 degrees upward, orbiting "diagonally" around the sun in relation to the orbital path we have set for Neptune. At the point at which the two would appear to intersect from a two-dimensional vantage, Pluto is actually millions of miles "above" or "below" Neptune's orbit.
I understand what your saying

AceKingQueenJack · Joined: 19 Jun 2006 Posts: 297 Location: North Carolina

What made pluto loose its planetary status rather than Neptune, though?

Free Thinkr · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 6:33 pm Post subject:

bob.appleyard wrote: If they do collide, Pluto will just fly into Neptune's gassy expanse.
Mmmmm, like when Shoemaker-Levy just flew into Jupiter's gassy expanse?

ETA:

For anyone who wants a better grasp on these orbits in particular, or our solar system in general, I strongly recommend downloading Celestia. That program is boss.

black noise · Joined: 30 Oct 2004 Posts: 354

AceKingQueenJack wrote: What made pluto loose its planetary status rather than Neptune, though?
Neptune is a really big gas giant, plus Pluto more closely resembles big comets/asteroids in the far reaches of the solar system. Basically there are the 8 main planets, then a bunch of big icy balls of rock way out there, and Pluto was only a planet because it was the first of them to be discovered.

LostSoul3412 · Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 7657

AceKingQueenJack wrote: What made pluto loose its planetary status rather than Neptune, though?

Pluto got drunk and lost a bet with Neptune when Uranus said it liked Neptune better because he's bigger...

ubikk · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 2091

toddytodd wrote: Is it Neptune that rotates on its side, or Uranus? I forget... :think:
Which ever one rotates on is side, some researchers say it was knocked on its side due to collision with another planet. Maybe Pluto will knock it back around if/when it hits? :lol:

I think Uranus is the one that turns head-over-heels.

ubikk · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 2091

AceKingQueenJack wrote: If pluto shares part of its orbit with Neptune, wouldnt they eventually collide?

Maybe someday it will become one of Neptune's moons?

Stevv · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 14

toddytodd wrote: Is it Neptune that rotates on its side, or Uranus? I forget... :think:
Which ever one rotates on is side, some researchers say it was knocked on its side due to collision with another planet. Maybe Pluto will knock it back around if/when it hits? :lol:

both.

larryau · Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 26

AceKingQueenJack wrote: What made pluto loose its planetary status rather than Neptune, though?

Neptune is sufficeintly larger than Pluto... by many many many many times....

And yea (sorry about the earlier bus.). Neptune's orbit is the same plane as all the other planets.

Enoch · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 8567

Free Thinkr wrote: bob.appleyard wrote: If they do collide, Pluto will just fly into Neptune's gassy expanse.
Mmmmm, like when Shoemaker-Levy just flew into Jupiter's gassy expanse?

ETA:

For anyone who wants a better grasp on these orbits in particular, or our solar system in general, I strongly recommend downloading Celestia. That program is boss. Amazing program! Thanks Free Thinkr.

00timh · Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 12729 Location: upstate NY

Being that the Pluto and Neptune have yet to hit each other for 5 billion years, I'm going to go out on a limb and say we have nothing to worry about.

MG1962 · Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 9764 Location: Sydney

Quote: Maybe someday it will become one of Neptune's moons?

Current thinking suggests thats how it started life.