• Question: do you think the planets on the other side of the astroid belt should be classed in our solar system?

    Asked by tonieastup123 to Adam, Catherine, Karen, Leila, Nazim on 15 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Stevens

      Adam Stevens answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      Definitely. In terms of the solar system, they’re probably even more important than Earth!

      Jupiter has been massively important in the formation and history of the solar system. Without it we probably wouldn’t have as many comets, but we would have been hit by a lot more meteors!

      Plus the gas planets are pretty cool 🙂

    • Photo: Karen Masters

      Karen Masters answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      Yes. Because they orbit our Sun.

    • Photo: Nazim Bharmal

      Nazim Bharmal answered on 18 Mar 2012:

      Yes, because beyond the asteroid belt are lots of planets that aren’t like ours but are affected by the sun. These planets, the gas giants, have lots of interesting moons and some of them have weather a little like the Earth’s (Titan) or perhaps even life in their oceans (Europa), and certainly volcanos (Io).

    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Yes! Why do you want to leave them out, bully!

      A planet should be in our solar system if it is orbiting our sun, no matter how far away it is 🙂

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