Quote:
Originally Posted by Warren Platts
Well, they say Pluto has an orbital period of 248 years, but it was only discovered 1930. Do we really have to sit around for 248 years "to be sure" that Pluto's observed pattern really is an orbit?
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You're mixing data sources, here. You can't compare the direct observation of a body in our own back yard with a velocity signal picked out of the background noise from a distant star. The latter has multiple potential causes, which need to be untangled by observation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warren Platts
But my main point is just that we are getting useful data about planets that are not ultra-close to their parent star.
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But not data that allow us to say anything much about how the outer regions of a typical planetary system are "laid out". Which I believe is
Kullat Nunu's point, and which is certainly my point.
Grant Hutchison