pluto orbit highly unstable chaotic shorter timescales university of arizona chiba institute of technology pluto

Since Pluto - the dwarf planet - was discovered in 1930, it has generated considerable interest among astronomers, primarily over its highly eccentric and inclined orbit. New research claims that it is also subject to chaotic perturbance and changes over shorter timescales. At larger timescales, the orbit appears relatively stable. What it really means is that Pluto's orbit is radically different from that of other planets. Most planets follow nearly circular orbits around the Sun close to its equator. However, Pluto…