# The Eliptical Orbit of Planets in our Solar System

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eliptical-orbit-of-planets-in-our-solar-system/78471>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 28, 2001, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eliptical-orbit-of-planets-in-our-solar-system/78471 "2001-08-28T03:25:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eliptical-orbit-of-planets-in-our-solar-system/78471/21 "2001-08-29T15:50:19Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by evilhanz \*  
> \*\*Yes, that’s correct. A slight miswording on my part. I’m surprised no one else noticed. Thanks, ZenBeam! \*\*

Well, I trusted you!

BTW, you mispelled “dead wrong” 🙂

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**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eliptical-orbit-of-planets-in-our-solar-system/78471/22 "2001-08-29T16:04:13Z")

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Thanks, DrMatrix! And Apos, of course.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eliptical-orbit-of-planets-in-our-solar-system/78471/23 "2001-08-29T23:41:09Z")

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Quoth **Podkayne** :

> [@](#):
>
> Hey, Chronos, I’ve been trying to prove this and failing. Farging trancendental equations!!! Anyway, can you tell me where I can find a proof?

I’ve never actually proven it myself, but I remembered that from my copy of Danby. Unfortunately, I think it might have been in one of the problems, “Prove that the Moon always keeps the same face towards the empty focus of its orbit”, or some such, so there might not be a proof spelled out there, either. I’ll let you know when I’m next up in my office, with access to the book.

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**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eliptical-orbit-of-planets-in-our-solar-system/78471/24 "2001-08-30T14:27:58Z")

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Found it **Chronos** , thanks. Chapter 6, problem 2. The actual problem is, “Show that if the square of the eccentricity of the Moon’s orbit is neglected, the Moon will always turn the same face toward the empty focus.”

I think I found my clue. 🙂

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