From the December 2007 issue

Why do all planets in our solar system orbit in approximately the same plane?

Riley Larkins, Manchester, New Hampshire
By | Published: December 1, 2007 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
The fact that all the planets in our solar system orbit in the same direction about the Sun, on nearly circular orbits, and in the same plane (to within a few degrees, with the exception of Mercury) was known to astronomers hundreds of years ago.