Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDon
Can a natural object assume a (I don't know the real terms) non-equatorial orbit? I'm not talking about a circumpolar orbit, I mean assume an orbit around, lets say, the 20th parallel (only up high, of course) or do they always have to cut across the parent objects middle or center of gravity?
(Boy, that was poorly articulated)
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No, it wasn't poorly articulated. I understand what you mean. There was already one answer, but just to make it simple, the answer is no. The center of the orbit has to be the same as the center of mass (I'm not sure that's exactly true, but I think it's close enough to be a good explanation). So suppose a satellite was orbiting around the North pole on a plane parallel to the equator. In that case, the center of the orbit would be the north pole. So the satellite would be pulled south toward the center of mass. I hope this makes sense.