fossilesque@mander.xyzM to Science Memes@mander.xyzEnglish · 3 days agoPluto's Orbitmander.xyzimagemessage-square32fedilinkarrow-up1634arrow-down16
arrow-up1628arrow-down1imagePluto's Orbitmander.xyzfossilesque@mander.xyzM to Science Memes@mander.xyzEnglish · 3 days agomessage-square32fedilink
minus-squaresuperkret@feddit.orglinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up19arrow-down1·3 days agoHow can we even know it’s a planet when we haven’t observed a single orbit, yet? Maybe it’s just a really big comet.
minus-squaredeadbeef79000@lemmy.nzlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up21·2 days agoWe’ve observed enough of its orbit to know what shape it is.
minus-squareNeatoBuilds@mander.xyzlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up16arrow-down1·2 days agoHow can you be so sure it doesn’t just decide to leave
minus-squareGladaed@feddit.orglinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up4·2 days agoIt’s not really big. There are multiple Pluto like planetoids. Also there is a hunk of rock in the asteroid belt youcould name a planet.
minus-squarepsud@aussie.zonelinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up1·12 hours agoCeres is more than a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. It’s at least an order of magnitude bigger than anything else in its orbit. It’s hardly a hunk of rock
minus-squareKSP Atlas@sopuli.xyzlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up2·2 days agoBy measuring how fast it’s moving and where it is you can find the orbit
How can we even know it’s a planet when we haven’t observed a single orbit, yet?
Maybe it’s just a really big comet.
We’ve observed enough of its orbit to know what shape it is.
How can you be so sure it doesn’t just decide to leave
And who could blame it?
It’s not really big. There are multiple Pluto like planetoids. Also there is a hunk of rock in the asteroid belt youcould name a planet.
Ceres is more than a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. It’s at least an order of magnitude bigger than anything else in its orbit. It’s hardly a hunk of rock
By measuring how fast it’s moving and where it is you can find the orbit