When you look at the departure of planetary orbits from "perfection", it gets quite interesting.
A "perfect" orbit would be exactly in the Sun's rotation plane, with perfect circularity, and with the spin axis of the planet aligned exactly perpendicular to the orbit and the Sun's equator. (and with spin of the planet having some rational relation to orbital period or whatever)
There are many departures from this ideal scenario, in our own solar system. For, example, Uranus has a spin axis tilt of -82 degrees, but quite low inclination and eccentricity of it's Solar orbit. Venus rotates backwards, but nearly "vertical" (spin axis tilt of -3 degrees)
Orbital inclination and eccentricity are variable. The distribution of these appears random, or chaotic. In general, (except for Pluto) the greatest inclination is not coupled with the greatest eccentricity nor with the greatest spin axis tilt. Jupiter, the most massive body, is perhaps the most "perfect" but if you look at the energy associated with it's imperfection, then it is at least comparable to other bodies, due to the huge mass.
The best model is that a broadly co-orbiting cloud of gas and dust condensed into the planetary nebula, formed discrete bodies, and in the course of collisional amalgamation, random offsets and oblique impacts developed random deviations from the "perfect" orbits.
And don't forget that for 4.6 billion years these planets have been in a weak dynamic resonance, pumping each other's orbital parameters by tidal friction and third-body interactions. This is NOT a clockwork that was set on day zero when it was wound-up and has been ticking smoothly ever since. Look at Earth's Milancovich cycles, Mars' long term climate cycles, the pumping of asteroids...
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/data.html
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/data1.html
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/data2.html
Space/Science » in reply to re: Venus and Jupiter influencing the Moon
Inclination and eccentricity
