How do the other planets in the solar system affect Earth?

1 Answer
Mar 23, 2016

The gravitational pull of the other planets in the solar system affect the Earth's orbit.

Explanation:

The gravitational pull of the other planets in the solar system affect the Earth's orbit in several ways. Jupiter in particular has an effect on other planets including Earth.

Most moons in the solar system are small in comparison with the planet they orbit around. The Moon however is quite large relative the the Earth. This means that it is not the Earth which orbits the Sun it is the centre of mass of the Earth and Moon called the Earth Moon Barycentre.

The Moon's orbit around the Earth is very complex due to a number of factors. The ELP2000 data enables the calculation of a good approximation to the Moon's orbit. It has a number of data sets which each describe an aspect of the Moon's orbit. One of these data sets describes the effect of each of the other planets on the Moon's orbit.

The Earth is at perihelion around the 3rd January. The actual time of perihelion can vary by several days from year to year because of the effect of the other planets.

The precession of the equinoxes and the oscillation of the angle of the Earth's axis is caused by the gravity of the Sun, Moon and other planets. The Moon actually has a stabilising effect on this. Without the Moon the Earth's axis of tilt would oscillate wildly.