COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Circular orbits identified for small exoplanets
Description: Viewed from above, our solar system's planetary orbits around the sun resemble rings around a bulls-eye. Each planet, including Earth, keeps to a roughly circular path, always maintaining the same distance from the sun. For decades, astronomers have wondered whether the solar system's circular orbits might be a rarity in our universe. Now a new analysis suggests that such orbital regularity is instead the norm, at least for systems with planets as small as Earth. [Source: MIT News]
URL: http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/circular-orbits-small-exoplanets-0601
Availability: Full Text
Source: MIT News
Publish Date: 6/11/2015
Reading Level: Basic
Page Length:  

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