Migrating Planets

There are several ways to try and explain the formation of the existing planetary orbits from the mass of gas and dust that gave rise to this system, often referred to as the solar nebula. One of the simplest and most accepted hypotheses suggests that the present locations of the planetary orbits are in fact identical to the position they occupied at the time of their formation. This assumption has become the foundation for our understanding of the solar system and many other theories depend on it.

There are other bodies within our solar system, which tend to intermingle, dangerously at times with the planets. These include comets, asteroids, moons, and cosmic dust. These objects also exist within orbits however it has been accepted that the orbits they exist in are not rigid and that migration is able to and has occurred. The earth's moon is a perfect example of this migration. Though the moon is thought to have been formed at approximately 30,000 kilometers from the earth, the present orbit, which it occupies, maintains the m

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t concentric to the rest of the planetary orbits. The size of the planet stands in stark contrast to the proportions of the 4 outer giants, and for 20 of its 248-year orbit, Pluto is closer to the sun than Neptune. This irregular orbit that Pluto occupies would in theory lead to a collision with Neptune or to Pluto's expulsion form the solar system by gravitational forces exerted by the passing giant planet. Mathematical models show that this phenomenon should occur at 1% of the age of the solar system but according to the theory of resonance libration, this event will never take place. Pluto's orbit is said to be in a 3:2 resonance with that of Neptune's and it is this relationship, which will prevent them from interacting. Theories which tried to explain Pluto's eccentric orbit often attributed it to some sort of planetary encounter. However, in 1993 a theory was proposed, which suggested that there was a period early in planetary life during which migrations took place. Migrations of the larger planets and the forces that the new positions produced, converted Pluto's originally round orbit into an elliptical one that differed from the others. This process of migration would have begun at a time of planetary formation, w
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Approximate Word count = 1328
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)