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What I'am trying to understand if in space does the asteriod belt "sit" on a linear orbit or does it encompass a 360 degree orbit? (in a plane Cartesian coordinate system)

voyagerd
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    Short answer: Main belt is ring-shaped, but lots of asteroids orbit at weird inclinations as well. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_belt – Russell Borogove Aug 25 '16 at 15:04

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The vast majority of the solar system is in the same plane thus the belt is also mostly flat and circular in shape.

This video explain the reasons: http://www.universetoday.com/108355/why-is-the-solar-system-flat/

ventsyv
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