Tag

Ecliptic

All articles tagged with #ecliptic

observing20 days ago•7 min saved

Solstice Sky Parade: Mercury, Jupiter and Venus light up Sunday evening

On Sunday, June 21, 2026 (the summer solstice), the evening sky features a bright lineup of Mercury in Gemini, Jupiter, Venus, Regulus, the Moon, and Spica tracing a line along the ecliptic after sunset; the summer solstice occurs at 4:25 AM EDT, with sunrise about 5:32 AM and sunset around 8:32 PM. The Moon is waxing gibbous (about 52% illuminated) and First Quarter Moon arrives at 5:55 PM EDT. The article also highlights checking Sky This Week for more sky events.

via Astronomy Magazine|

#ecliptic #moon #observing

astronomy5 months ago•47 min saved

Cosmic Planes: Why Our Solar System and Galaxy Are Flat

The Sun and planets all orbit in a single, flat disk aligned to the ecliptic because the solar nebula collapsed with rotation; similarly, the Milky Way and Local Group lie in near-planes (galactic and supergalactic), though these planes tilt relative to one another. “Down” isn’t universal in space—it depends on the reference plane—demonstrating how initial angular momentum during formation shapes the cosmos’s familiar flat structure from the solar system outward.

via Space|

#astronomy #cosmology #ecliptic

science5 months ago•43 min saved

What’s Below the Solar System’s Plane? A Cosmic Perspective

Earth’s planets orbit the Sun in a relatively flat plane called the ecliptic, and there is no universal 'down' in space—the direction depends on the scale and frame of reference: beyond the solar system, stars lie in a galactic plane inclined about 60° to the ecliptic, and galaxies lie in the supergalactic plane; traveling in the apparent 'down' would eventually take you to other stars and galaxies, illustrating that spatial orientation in the cosmos is relative rather than fixed.

via Yahoo|

#ecliptic #galactic-plane #milky-way