Can two planets orbit each other?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

Yes. Imagine that the Moon was the same size as the Earth. The Earth and Moon would orbit each other, and the pair of them together would still orbit the Sun. Picture a baton twirling in your hand, as your arm swing around in a circle. The two endpoints of the baton both orbit each other, and the entire two-planet system of the baton is itself orbiting your shoulder. Thus, this means that it depends on one's frame of reference when observing orbits. For example, the geocentric model assumed all celestial bodies were orbiting around the Earth including planets.

Answer 3

no the sun stays still and the planets orbit the sun while the moons orbit the planets!!!!!

thats not my question. Of course in this solar system that happens. I.e. planets orbit the sun. But is it possible for a sun to orbit a planet in a solar system, I turn you to this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8077302.stm . If the mass of the sun was smaller than the planet would that mean that the sun would orbit the planet. Or despite the size and mass of a sun it will always have the planets circling it. I'm not sure.. thus my question

Answer 4

Yes, planets DO orbit other planets. Even in our own solar system. The dwarf planets Pluto and Charon (previusly considered its moon) orbit each other, with the center of their orbits being in the space between them. Pluto and Charon do have moons, a pair of them orbiting both Pluto and charon's common center of gravity.

Brown dwarfs, very large objects too small to ignite into stars, have been seen to have planets orbiting them by themselves in the depths of space. Brown dwarfs when orbiting stars are considered planets. Since the Brown Dwarfs in question don't orbit stars themselves, the objects orbiting them are not moons.

A small number of exoplanets have been seen to orbit each other in other star systems.

Answer 5

No two objects can occupy the same space at the same time.

However it is entirely possible that two planets could share the same orbit of a star but be at different points along that orbit.

Planets were formed by matter condensing and forming planet's, or proto planets colliding to form planets and moons as in the case with the Earth. Given the number of stars in the Galaxy, and the number of planets orbiting those stars it is probable that there is a star with two planets sharing the same orbit.

This subject was the plot line in a Science Fiction film in the 1969 British science-fiction film Doppelgängerdirected by Robert Parrish.

Answer 6

No, a star has an extreme amount of gravity.

And when galaxies are formed, the dust cloud circling the stars form planets.

Hope that helped!

Answer 7

In our solar system, planets orbit the Sun, they do not orbit each other.

Answer 8

The planets in the solar system all orbit the Sun and not each other. It might be possible for a pair of planets to orbit each other in another solar system.