# What does “side view” of solar system look like?

I'm trying to grasp what a 2D "side-view" of the solar system looks like. There are many examples of a "top-down" view of the solar system. But the side-view confuses me somewhat.

The plane of reference is the ecliptic as far as I can understand and the earth's path viewed from the side follows this line exactly as the "orbital inclination" with the ecliptic is 0 degrees (see blue line on ecliptic plane in screenshot below).

Now for the other planets: Mars has an orbital inclination of 1.85 degrees, BUT when I use the Keplerian elements from JPL, it seems the plane is not only inclined at 1.85 degrees, but also tilted? See screenshot. I was expecting a perfectly flat line for the ellipse of Mars (like the one for earth). You can see that Mercury and Venus have the same problem.

Does this visualization make sense or am I doing this wrong?

• "the plane is not only inclined at 1.85 degrees, but also tilted" I don't understand: don't "inclined" and "tilted" mean the same thing? – David Richerby Mar 20 '17 at 13:52

• I recommend you buy the book "Fundamentals of Astrodynamics" by Roger Bate, Donald Mueller, and Jerry White. It is between \$7 and \$18 USD depending on whether you buy it used or new. It is a very gentle introduction to most aspects of classical astrodynamics, including orbital elements. – Escualo Mar 20 '17 at 0:53