The Amazing August Planet Show Aug 16, 2008
Ecliptic is steep so easy to see this dance of the planets at 6pm local time. Violation: lect> Additional Comments. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Voyager Squashes View Of Solar System Jul 4, 2008
Voyager 1's flight path at Saturn bent it up and away from the ecliptic, the plane in which most planets orbit the sun. Voyager 2's trajectory continued in the ecliptic, allowing the spacecraft two more planetary encounters, the distant planets Uranus and then Neptune. (Science Daily)
A Space Odyssey Ends:Ulysses Shuts Down July 1st Jun 20, 2008
Scientists originally only knew of the slower wind moving directly past us through the ecliptic plane (the solar system's "equator," in which the Earth and other planets orbit the Sun). The fast wind races through space at roughly 500 miles (800 km) per second, twice the slow wind's speed. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
International Mission Studying Sun To Conclude Jun 14, 2008
Ulysses flew by Jupiter on 8 February 1992; the giant planet's gravity bent the spacecraft's flight path downward and away from the ecliptic plane ... 17, 2006) The joint ESA-NASA Ulysses mission has reached another important milestone on its epic out-of-ecliptic journey: the start of the third passage over the Sun's south pole. (Science Daily)
Why our solar system is flat May 31, 2008
Of the imaginary coordinate lines that astronomers and navigators use in mapping the sky, perhaps the most important one is the ecliptic, the apparent path the sun appears to take through the sky as a result of the Earth's revolution around it. Because of the Earth's yearly revolution around the sun, the sun appears to move in its annual journey through the heavens with the ecliptic as its path ... Technically then, the ecliptic represents the extension or projection of the plane of the Earth's... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Solar Images Show Green And Blue Flashes May 6, 2008
Most of the interplanetary dust in the Solar System lies in the ecliptic, the plane close to which the planets are moving around the Sun, and the Zodiacal light and Gegenschein are thus seen in the region centred around the ecliptic. While the Zodiacal light is seen in the vicinity of the Sun, the Gegenschein is seen in the direction opposite to the Sun. (Science Daily)
- Stargazing even on cloudy nights Apr 2, 2008
Sullivans clear voice reverberated in the chamber, and he outlined constellations along the ecliptic (the suns path across the sky) with his laser pointer. A long time ago, when there was no electricity, he began. (Anacortes Weekly, WA)
Earth-Size Planet to Be Found in Outer Solar System? Mar 18, 2008
The eight known planets in our solar system are on very similar elliptical orbits and are all almost within the ecliptic plane, the geometric plane that roughly describes Earth's orbit around the sun. "Most surveys [looking for Planet X] are concentrated toward the ecliptic plane, since that is where most solar system objects concentrate," said Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona ... The new models, however, suggest that Planet X is circling the sun on a 20... (National Geographic)
Constellations reign at night Mar 4, 2008
Mars, Saturn, and all the other planets - as well as the Moon - follow a well-defined roadway circling the entire sky, called the ecliptic. Spread out along the ecliptic shine the twelve constellations of the zodiac, spanning the four seasons of the year ... Any good sky atlas will show the path of the ecliptic and the outlines of these famous star patterns. (Windsor Star)
Ulysses Says Goodbye Mar 1, 2008
2 years as it circles in a looping orbit that extends out to Jupiter and is almost perpendicular to the ecliptic. European Space Agency A joint mission between ESA and NASA, Ulysses was originally designed for a lifetime of five years. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
This Week's Sky at a Glance Feb 28, 2008
This is the best season of the year for seeing the evening zodiacal light if you're in the Northern Hemisphere because this is when the ecliptic extends most nearly upright from the western horizon at dusk. Tuesday, February 26. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Observing Hydra the Water Snake Feb 9, 2008
Hydra, largest of all the constellations, fills the space between the important zodiacal constellations along the ecliptic and the Milky Way. Finding the Constellation HydraHydra is located low in spring skies for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. (Suite101.com)
Solar cycle update Ulysses visits pole Jan 16, 2008
It has now long exceeded the voyaging of its Greek namesake, who was only travelling for a paltry ten years; it has also gone a fair bit further, voyaging out as far as Jupiter before swinging out of the ecliptic and back towards the sun. Each flyby revealed something interesting and mysterious, but this one may be most interesting of all, says NASA (). (Nature News Service)
Mars Dodges a Bullet Jan 13, 2008
The reason is that, although the asteroid's perihelion point is very nearly Earth's distance from the Sun, it's nowhere near the ecliptic plane when that occurs ... The reason is that, although the asteroid's perihelion point is very nearly Earth's distance from the Sun, it's nowhere near the ecliptic plane when that occurs. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Cold winter nights offer clearer night skies Dec 29, 2007
The moment of the solstice occurred on Dec. 22 at 1:08 a.m. EST. The sun, appearing to travel along the ecliptic, reached that point in the sky where it is farthest south of the celestial equator. . (MSNBC -- Technology)
Observe Mars Tonight! Dec 9, 2007
com - Planets - Observe Mars Tonight. Contributor Guidelines. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Most climatologists remain silent on global warming Nov 5, 2007
Daniel wrote on Nov 3, 2007 4:37 PM:" Veteran of the Malabar Front: How much protection from the sun's ultra violet rays does any animal species require on the South Pole? What is the angle of solar impingement at the south pole? Well, it varies with the seasons. Maximum solar incidence equals the angle between the ecliptic and equatorial planes. Did man put the hole in the ozone, or was it always there? ". Audi 5000 wrote on Nov 3, 2007 3:26 PM:" To Daniel Nov 3, 2007 11:03 AM: Game, Set, Match... (Lodi News Sentinel, CA)
Make a Star Wheel! Sep 24, 2007
Planets aren't plotted on the Star Wheel, but they travel across the sky along an imaginary line called the ecliptic ... However, the curved line coursing across the map is called the ecliptic ... The Moon likewise travels very near the ecliptic in its orbit around Earth. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
The Astronomy of Astrology Aug 14, 2007
Both types split the ecliptic plane, (the path that the sun, moon and planets roughly follow across the sky) into twelve chunks, each corresponding to the constellation which was showing in the night sky when the zodiac was first divided. Astrology centers around the positions of the sun, moon and planets on the zodiac for a particular event, the general gist being that the position of each planet effects our life on earth. (FirstScience.com)
Observing Libra May 5, 2007
Libra is an unassuming zodiac constellation located on the ecliptic with an easy double star for binoculars. Libra, the constellation of The Scales, is located on the ecliptic between Virgo and Scorpius ... The ecliptic is the plane in the sky on which the sun, moon, and planets travel. (Suite101.com)
Glad you asked Mar 22, 2007
More technically, the equinox happens when the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator and ecliptic intersect. In a wider sense, the equinoxes are the two days each year when the center of the Sun spends an equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on Earth. (Rio Rancho Observer, NM)
Observing Constellation Aries Mar 20, 2007
The term "the First Point of Aries" refers to when the ecliptic and celestial equator cross, signaling the. When this point was first discovered, it lay in the constellation Aries. (Suite101.com)
Dark side of the moon Mar 3, 2007
The series began with a partial eclipse south of the Ecliptic on August 16, 1087. The series will end with a partial eclipse north of the Ecliptic on October 19, 2385. (Daily News & Analysis)
Oldest solar observatory discovered Mar 2, 2007
How it worksIn addition to the daily east-to-west motion, our sun appears to move eastward through the stars in a path known as the ecliptic over the course of a year. Also, the is not perpendicular to the ecliptic but slanted by an angle of a little over 23 degrees. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Weird and Wonderful Space Words Jan 26, 2007
A faint spot of light appears on the ecliptic at a point that is 180 degrees from the Sun's current position. It is the counterglow of the Sun on dust in space. (Suite101.com)
Bright comet passes over Alaska Jan 11, 2007
" At the moment Alaska and other northern zones are getting the best views because the comet rises and sets perpendicularly to the ecliptic, or track that the sun appears to take around the Earth, Bailey said. Near the equator it would appear behind the sun and therefore shielded from view. But after Thursday, Bailey said, he expects it will be too close to the sun for viewing from Alaska. After that, the Southern Hemisphere will get its turn before the comet disappears into space on its orbital... (Anchorage Daily News)
Getting Started in Astronomy Oct 7, 2006
As noted in the instructions, if you see a bright "star" near the line labeled "ECLIPTIC" that's not on the map, you've located a planet. To figure out which one it is, consult the latest issue of Sky & Telescope or Night Sky magazine or use our ). (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Ode to Pluto Sep 17, 2006
Dr. Vesto Slipher, the observatory director, hired Clyde Tombaugh for the third search and Clyde took sets of photographs of the plane of the solar system (ecliptic) one to two weeks apart and looked for anything that shifted against the backdrop of stars. This systematic approach was successful and Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930. (Hindu)
Pluto Decision Meets with Frustration Aug 27, 2006
News for nerds, stuff that matters. Posted by on Friday August 25, @06:31PM from the tiny-grey-different dept. fuzzybunny writes "The BBC reports that the IAU's from planet status was irregular. 'There were 2,700 astronomers in Prague during that 10-day period. But only 10% of them voted this afternoon.'" On a less serious note, writes "Nonplussed by Pluto's recent downgrade from Planet Status, Fox News's own John Gibson to correct the 'revisionist history' of the IAU's decision. Exemplifying... (Slashdot)
The lighter side of Pluto Aug 26, 2006
In fact, if you look at the orbits in 3D, Neptune probably *has* cleared its orbit - although Pluto is often closer to the sun, its orbit is also highly inclined - so when it's "inside" Neptune's orbit, it's also several million miles below the plane of the ecliptic. They never get very close to each other in 3D space at all. (MSNBC)
Meanwhile: Keep Pluto on the guest list Aug 24, 2006
It's tilted at a crazy 17-degree angle to the ecliptic, and its satellite, Charon, is so disproportionately large that it's been called a double planet. Pluto is what my old astronomy textbook rather judgmentally called a "deviant," and I've always felt a little defensive on its behalf. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
A Wild Week: Planet Definition Left Up in the Air Aug 21, 2006
(2) According to point (1) the eight classical planets discovered before 1900, which move in nearly circular orbits close to the ecliptic plane are the only planets of our Solar System. All the other objects in orbit around the Sun are smaller than Mercury. (Yahoo News -- Astronomy and Space)
> read more Aug 16, 2006
These are large objects in nearly circular orbits close to the ecliptic plane (that is, the plane of Earth's orbit) ... Pluto becomes the prototype of a new class of planets called plutons, small objects with orbital periods longer than 200 years and highly elongated paths tipped steeply with respect to the ecliptic. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Aldrin Visit Jul 21, 2006
-based Ecliptic Enterprises Corp., which sells photos taken by its RocketCam to media outlets and educational institutions. Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites collects advertising revenue by placing logos for 7UP soda and M&M's candy on SpaceShipOne, a privately funded manned space program based in Mojave, Calif. (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Nevada News)
What's Up This Week - April 10 - April 17, 2006 Apr 23, 2006
Of the rings, Huygens said, "Saturn: encircled by a ring, thin and flat, nowhere touching, and inclined to the ecliptic.". To honor Huygen's achievements and get a sense just how "on the edge" his observations were at the time, consider the fact Huygens used a home built instrument of 12 foot (336. (Universe Today)
ArabSat bites the dust, ending hopes Mar 25, 2006
Other participants in Wingo's group included Cesar Ocampo from the University of Texas at Austin, Mike Loucks from Space Exploration Engineering, John Carrico from Applied Defense Solutions Inc. , Rex Ridenoure from Ecliptic Enterprises Corp. and veteran space engineer Gordon Woodcock. Robotic tug nixedAs soon as ArabSat's predicament became known a month ago, Wingo and the other experts began working on plan similar to that used in 1998. (MSNBC -- Technology)
