<p>The Titius-Bode Law as originally conceived has too much mathematical cheating to be meaningful (e.g. the exponent must be negative infinity for Mercury, then switch to N - 2 for the other planets).  What does seem to be true is that the planets are roughly proportionally spaced, each one being, on average, 1.7 times further out than the one before it.  That may be true for exoplanet systems, as well.  On the other hand, some exoplanet systems may be &quot;tightly packed&quot; due to resonances and have linear, rather than geometric, spacing.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-18T22:03:19.473Z
+1 This. The Bode rule ist just a feeble attempt to find simple structure in complex mechanics, and then bend its own rules to make reality match it.
planetmaker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-18T19:55:45.420Z
2021-02-18T19:55:45.420Z
bpl1960
<p><a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.08066" rel="nofollow noreferrer">A recent article</a> examines if exoplanetary systems follow the Titus-Bode rule. They find that among the systems with three or more confirmed planets that they studied, the planetary distances follow a logarithmic law roughly 53% of the time. So it is possible that the Titus-Bode rule is more than a simple coincidence.</p>
<p>There is no solid explanation for this, but from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titius%E2%80%93Bode_law" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>it is possible that, given a combination of orbital resonance and shortage of degrees of freedom, any stable planetary system has a high probability of satisfying a Titius–Bode-type relationship.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-17T09:38:57.537Z
2021-02-17T09:38:57.537Z
usernumber
<p>Is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titius%E2%80%93Bode_law" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bode's Law</a> just a series of remarkable coincidences,or would it hold good for other solar systems where the star is similar to our sun?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-05T11:11:53.053Z
[Wikipedia says](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titius%E2%80%93Bode_law#Theoretical_explanations) No solid theoretical explanation underlies the Titius–Bode law, but it is possible that given a combination of orbital resonance and shortage of degrees of freedom, any stable planetary system has a high probability of satisfying a Titius–Bode-type relationship. Since it may be a mathematical coincidence rather than a "law of nature", it is sometimes referred to as a rule instead of "law".
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-05T12:14:46.490Z
Related: https://space.stackexchange.com/q/20938/58
called2voyage
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-05T12:17:56.293Z
I think it would have a better chance of being true for other solar systems if we limit our initial investigations to sun-like stars,but we will have to wait a while before hat becomes possible. The way exoplanet research is going,we may not have to wait very long. It would be even more interesting if Bodes rule were found to work for other types of star,but I think that is unlikely.
Michael Walsby
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-06T03:37:32.113Z
I've edited the tag on this: Bode's law is no law of physics, but an outcome of planetary system dynamics, and not universally seen in exoplanetary systems.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-26T20:57:51.853Z
@AtmosphericPrisonEscape We can see exactly those exoplanets the least, where the law (rule) is the strongest in our solar system.
peterh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-27T13:10:30.273Z
@peterh-ReinstateMonica: Sorry, I cannot decode your sentence. Care to rephrase?
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-27T13:14:04.517Z
@AtmosphericPrisonEscape Body law (rule) is the most accurate for the inner planets. Exactly the exoplanets with the similar properties are the hardest to find with our current technology.
peterh
<exoplanet>
How Reliable is Bode's Law?
Michael Walsby
# How Reliable is Bode's Law?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-05)

Is [Bode's Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titius%E2%80%93Bode_law) just a series of remarkable coincidences,or would it hold good for other solar systems where the star is similar to our sun?

**Tags:** exoplanet
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: [Wikipedia says](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titius%E2%80%93Bode_law#Theoretical_explanations) No solid theoretical explanation underlies the Titius–Bode law, but it is possible that given a combination of orbital resonance and shortage of degrees of freedom, any stable planetary system has a high probability of satisfying a Titius–Bode-type relationship. Since it may be a mathematical coincidence rather than a "law of nature", it is sometimes referred to as a rule instead of "law".  
> **username_2**: Related: https://space.stackexchange.com/q/20938/58  
> **username_0**: I think it would have a better chance of being true for other solar systems if we limit our initial investigations to sun-like stars,but we will have to wait a while before hat becomes possible. The way exoplanet research is going,we may not have to wait very long. It would be even more interesting if Bodes rule were found to work for other types of star,but I think that is unlikely.  
> **username_3**: I've edited the tag on this: Bode's law is no law of physics, but an outcome of planetary system dynamics, and not universally seen in exoplanetary systems.  
> **username_4**: @AtmosphericPrisonEscape We can see exactly those exoplanets the least, where the law (rule) is the strongest in our solar system.  
> **username_3**: @peterh-ReinstateMonica: Sorry, I cannot decode your sentence. Care to rephrase?  
> **username_4**: @AtmosphericPrisonEscape Body law (rule) is the most accurate for the inner planets. Exactly the exoplanets with the similar properties are the hardest to find with our current technology.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2021-02-18. Score: 1

The Titius-Bode Law as originally conceived has too much mathematical cheating to be meaningful (e.g. the exponent must be negative infinity for Mercury, then switch to N - 2 for the other planets). What does seem to be true is that the planets are roughly proportionally spaced, each one being, on average, 1.7 times further out than the one before it. That may be true for exoplanet systems, as well. On the other hand, some exoplanet systems may be "tightly packed" due to resonances and have linear, rather than geometric, spacing.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: +1 This. The Bode rule ist just a feeble attempt to find simple structure in complex mechanics, and then bend its own rules to make reality match it.  

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### Answer by username_7 on 2021-02-17. Score: 1

[A recent article](https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.08066) examines if exoplanetary systems follow the Titus-Bode rule. They find that among the systems with three or more confirmed planets that they studied, the planetary distances follow a logarithmic law roughly 53% of the time. So it is possible that the Titus-Bode rule is more than a simple coincidence.

There is no solid explanation for this, but from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titius%E2%80%93Bode_law):

> it is possible that, given a combination of orbital resonance and shortage of degrees of freedom, any stable planetary system has a high probability of satisfying a Titius–Bode-type relationship.


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