Planets orbit the sun because gravity keeps them from escaping, and momentum keeps them moving forward.
The orbits are elliptical, which is like an oval.
Comets are balls of ice and dust in orbit around the Sun. The orbits of comets are different from those of planets - they are elliptical. A comet's orbit takes it very close to the Sun and then far away again.
No. The the planets closest to the sun orbit the fastest. Mercury, the first planet from the sun orbits at about 107,000 mph. Earth orbits at about 65,000 mph, and Neptune, the farthest planet, orbits at about 12,000 mph.
The terms "inferior planet" and "superior planet" were originally used in the geocentric cosmology of Claudius Ptolemy to differentiate those planets (Mercury and Venus) that were between the stationary Earth and the orbiting Sun from those planets (Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), which lay beyond the Sun's orbit.The terms are now used with the heliocentric model."Inferior Planets" have orbits closer to the Sun than the Earth's orbit.They are Mercury and Venus.The "Superior Planets" have orbits outside the Earth's orbit.They are Mars,Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.So, the meaning is slightly different from "Inner Planets" and "Outer Planets".
Those are called satellites.
Those aren't planets; they aren't big enough. We call them "asteroids".
Comets are balls of ice and dust in orbit around the Sun. The orbits of comets are different from those of planets - they are elliptical. A comet's orbit takes it very close to the Sun and then far away again.
They are simply asteroids. Sometimes they are called "minor planets", but they are much smaller than planets, of course. The Trojans can orbit where they do because those places are suitable for stable orbits.
No. The the planets closest to the sun orbit the fastest. Mercury, the first planet from the sun orbits at about 107,000 mph. Earth orbits at about 65,000 mph, and Neptune, the farthest planet, orbits at about 12,000 mph.
The orbits of comets are much more irregular than those of planets. Probably the majority do orbit in the same direction, but it's not a sure thing.
Some objects orbit the planets, like our Moon orbits Earth, but all of those planets and Earth and things like comets all orbit the Sun. So yes, you can say that everything in the solar system is orbiting the sun. Our system is based on the Sun, which is know as the Sol, hence Solar, and so everything orbits the sun. That is why we call it a solar system.
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
A comets orbit is highly eccentric, spending most of its time far out on the edge of the solar system and occasionally coming in closer to the sun. Planets orbits are more regular, closer to a circular orbit. A comets orbit also crosses the paths of planets, while each of the eight planets have their own orbit and don't cross paths. A comet does not usually orbit the sun on the same plane as the planets. Each of the planets orbits the sun more or less on the same plane. Due to the varying distance from the sun, the orbital speed of a comet varies greatly. Closer to the sun it travels quickly, far out on the edge of the solar system it will move much more slowly.
Yes, it does. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all orbit the Sun on the same plane. Pluto's and Eris' orbits aren't on the same plane as the planets. This is one of the reasons those two bodies were categorized as dwarf planets.
Pluto's orbit is quite unusual. It takes 248 Earth years for Pluto to complete one orbit around the Sun. Its orbit is also more oval-shaped, or elliptical, than those of the 8 major planets. That means that sometimes Pluto is a lot nearer to the Sun than at other times, At times Pluto's orbit brings it closer to the Sun than Neptune.
The terms "inferior planet" and "superior planet" were originally used in the geocentric cosmology of Claudius Ptolemy to differentiate those planets (Mercury and Venus) that were between the stationary Earth and the orbiting Sun from those planets (Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), which lay beyond the Sun's orbit.The terms are now used with the heliocentric model."Inferior Planets" have orbits closer to the Sun than the Earth's orbit.They are Mercury and Venus.The "Superior Planets" have orbits outside the Earth's orbit.They are Mars,Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.So, the meaning is slightly different from "Inner Planets" and "Outer Planets".
On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced a formal definition of planet that established a tripartite classification for objects in orbit around the Sun: "small Solar System bodies" were those objects too small for their gravity to have collapsed their surfaces into a rounded shape; "dwarf planets" were those objects large enough to be rounded, but who had yet to clear their orbits of similar-sized objects; "planets" were those objects that were both large enough to be rounded by self-gravity and which had cleared their orbits of similar-sized objects.[22] Under this classification, Pluto, Eris and Ceres were reclassified as dwarf planets.[22] Makemake is one of those "crazy" planets.
Those are called satellites.