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No. That would make it a moon.

Yes. Planets CAN orbit other planets. Pluto and Charon are a Binary planetary system, with both planets orbiting each other around a common center of gravity that exists in the space between them. However, as they are the only binary planets we know of, it seems to be a very rare occurrence.

Planets can also be captured by other planets to become a moon during the early formation of a star system. It is believe many of Jupiter and Saturn's moons were originally planets.

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Do The planets maintain circular orbits around the Sun?

The orbit of the planets in our Solar system are not perfectly circular, but eliptical. Each planet also has its own unique orbit, no two planets share an identical orbit. Because of the elliptical (oval) orbit of planets some get close to each other or cross the path of another planet's orbit.


Which two planets are farthest apart from each other?

Neptune and Mercury are the two planets farthest apart from each other in terms of distance in our solar system.


What two forces work together to keep the planets in orbit around the sun?

The two forces that work together to keep the planets in orbit around the sun are gravity and inertia.


How does gravity hold the planets and their moons in orbit?

All particles have a natural attraction to each other on a molecular level. Since planets are so massive, this attraction is much greater, and can be effective over great distances. There is gravity between all objects, but not as strong, so you might not feel it.


What keeps the planets in orbit around the sun?

Gravity, combined with the velocities of the planets, keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun.Gravity between any body, such as a planet, and the Sun is one factor. Also the planet has a velocity. These two things combine to keep the planet in orbit around the Sun.Gravitation. The suns gravitational pull. The huge mass of the sun means it has a huge gravitational pull, keeping all of the planets in place. There is also the planets velocity that would take the planet away from the sun if there was no gravity, so these two forces act against each other.

Related Questions

What is it called when two planets switch orbit?

planets dont "switch" orbit, but there are those that orbit each other, and those, like mars, that have retrograde motion, which makes it appear to orbit backwards


What two other common names of the bodies?

The two other common names for celestial bodies are planets and moons. Planets are large objects that orbit around stars, while moons are natural satellites that orbit around planets.


How many planets are orbiting Mars?

None. Mars is a planet which orbits The Sun. Planets do not orbit other planets. Mars does have two moon which orbit around it.


How many planets orbit around Mars?

No planets orbit around Mars. There are two moons that orbit around Mars.


Do The planets maintain circular orbits around the Sun?

The orbit of the planets in our Solar system are not perfectly circular, but eliptical. Each planet also has its own unique orbit, no two planets share an identical orbit. Because of the elliptical (oval) orbit of planets some get close to each other or cross the path of another planet's orbit.


What planets orbit mars?

Mars has two small moons named Phobos and Deimos, but no planets orbit it.


Position of inferior plant between earth and sun?

There are two inferior planets. One is venus-or sister planet-and the other in mercury. These two are inferior planets because their orbit is inside of the earths orbit. best time to see these planets is when they are their furthest from the sun. :)


Which two planets orbit the sun not the earth?

All the planets in our solar system orbit the Sun, not the Earth.Mercury and Venus orbit between the Sun and the Earth's orbit.


A force that keeps planets in orbit?

The force that keeps planets in orbit is gravity. Gravity is the attractive force that exists between two masses, such as a planet and a star, that causes them to be drawn towards each other. In the case of planets orbiting a star, gravity keeps the planets in their elliptical paths around the star.


What is the orbit of a planet that has two suns?

If two stars orbit each other, the planet may orbit one or the other, or it might orbit at a distance from both. The inner orbits are stable, and the outer orbit can be stable. Intermediate orbits, however, would cause the planet to either get swallowed or ejected. There are probably rogue planets as planets migrated into unstable orbits and were ejected. A rogue planet would be one wandering through the dark interstellar gulf. Extremely difficult for us to detect such things.


Why don't planets have the same orbit?

If they did then they would collide. They could merge into a larger planet or get blasted into space. In the latter case, the smaller parts would continue in individual orbits until they were attracted, by gravity, into other planets or coalesce into a new planet.


What is a double planet?

Two planets orbiting each other. The barycenter of the planets must not lie within either planet but must be in free space between them. (The planets orbit a central point as opposed to a planet-sattelite configuration where one body orbits another)