0
Want this question answered?
Be notified when an answer is posted
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
How many degrees is the Moon's orbit tilted relative to the ecliptic?
At the moment it is about 5 degrees. It is slowly decreasing. Don't worry though, it will take thousands of years to change much.
Does Earth have a tilted orbit?
No. The Earth's orbit is absolutely parallel to the plane of the ecliptic. Of course, the Earth's orbit is DEFINED as the plane of the ecliptic, so this should be no surprise. All of the other planetary orbits are tilted to the plane of the ecliptic, but not by a whole lot. The Moon's orbit, for example, is tilted about 5 degrees to the ecliptic. The axis of the Earth's spin, however, IS tilted by 23.5 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic.
Does the moon orbit the earth directly on the ecliptic?
Yes it does orbit that way.
Do moons and asteroids orbit the sun?
Asteroids orbit the sun. Moons orbit planets and planets orbit the sun. So you could say the moons orbit the sun. However, moons are kept in their orbits by the gravity of their planet and planets are kept in orbit by the gravity of the sun. So in that sense, moons do not orbit the sun.
What is Mars angle of orbit to ecliptic?
1.8 degrees.
How is the moons orbit positioned relative to the eclptic?
The Moon's orbit is inclined by just over 5 degrees to ecliptic plane.
What does the ecliptic represent?
The Ecliptic is the plane of Earth's orbit.
What space object does not orbit the Solar System fairly close to the ecliptic?
The orbit of Eris is 44° from the ecliptic.
Is the moons orbit in the same 3d plane as earths orbit?
No. For one thing, a plane is, by definition, 2-dimensional. The moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees relative to Earth's orbit.
How many degrees is the orbit of Pluto tilted from the plane of then ecliptic?
The plane of Pluto's orbit is inclined 17.2° to the plane of the ecliptic.
How many moons do the suns have?
The Sun has no moons. Moons orbit Planets > Planets orbit the Sun.
Why doesn't lunar eclipse occur every month?
The plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun is called the "ecliptic". Most of the other planets and moons orbit in planes that are close to the ecliptic, but none of them have orbital planes that are exactly the same. The Moon's orbital plane is about 8 degrees angled to the ecliptic. So most times, the Moon is either above the ecliptic at the new or full, or below it. It is only when the new moon is on the eclliptic that we have a solar eclipse, and only when the full moon is on the ecliptic that we have a lunar eclipse.
How do the relative motions of the earth sun and moon lead to eclipses?
The Earth goes round the Sun in an orbit, while the Moon travels round the Earth. If those orbits were in exactly the same plane we would have a solar eclipse at every new Moon and a lunar eclipse at every Full Moon. The Moon's orbit is at an angle to the Earth's, so at most full/new moons the Moon is above or below the plane of the Earth's orbit (known as the ecliptic). But if the Moon is crossing the ecliptic at full or new moon, we get an eclipse.
How many degrees is the Moon's orbit tilted relative to the ecliptic?
At the moment it is about 5 degrees. It is slowly decreasing. Don't worry though, it will take thousands of years to change much.
Does Earth have a tilted orbit?
No. The Earth's orbit is absolutely parallel to the plane of the ecliptic. Of course, the Earth's orbit is DEFINED as the plane of the ecliptic, so this should be no surprise. All of the other planetary orbits are tilted to the plane of the ecliptic, but not by a whole lot. The Moon's orbit, for example, is tilted about 5 degrees to the ecliptic. The axis of the Earth's spin, however, IS tilted by 23.5 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic.
Does the moon orbit the earth directly on the ecliptic?
Yes it does orbit that way.
What must the phase of the moon be for the occurrence of an eclipse of the sun?
It must be New Moon but also the Moon must be at one of its nodes, i.e. crossing the ecliptic, because its orbit is tilted relative to the ecliptic, which is the plane of the Earth's orbit. Usually at New Moon the Moon passes above or below the Sun and there is no eclipse.
