Year | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009[1] | 0.32° | 0.93° | 1.02° | 0.72° |
142400[2] | 0.48° | 0.79° | 1.04° | 0.55° |
168000[3] | 0.23° | 1.01° | 1.12° | 0.55° |
The invariable plane of a planetary system is the plane passing through its barycenter (center of mass).
In the Solar System, about 98% of this effect is from the mass of the four gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). The invariable plane is within 0.5° of the orbital plane of Jupiter.[1] It is the weighted average of all planetary orbital and rotational planes.
The invariable plane is got from the sum of angular momenta, and is perpendicular to the angular momentum vector of the planets. It is almost invariable (unchanging) over the entire system.