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    5 days ago

    It all depends on your reference point. Typically when orbits are depicted for human understanding, they’re given a top-down view. Think like Open Street Maps. It could be depicted on its side, like watching race cars around a race track, but it can result in more visual distortions than a simple top-down view.

    Alternatively, if you’re referring to orbits with high inclinations relative to the orbital plane, that also happens. Pluto, for example, has an inclination of ~17°, which is one of the reasons there are theories it was not part of the solar system when the solar system formed.