Starship Asterisk*

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060422.html
Looks like a formation of flying objects.
Orin

Hello Orin

Thats Mars doing tricks in the sky.

The Martians are coming.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060201.html
Harry! Did you see the figure that Venus made in a similar type of photo?
Orin

Hello Orin

Yes I did see that, thank you

That reminds me of a female driving.

Hi everyone!

I have a question that comes to me each time I see in APOD one of those pictures of aligned planets, retrograde movements, latitudes and so on. That is, very often! Sometimes captions tell us about the angle the orbit of a planet, or the angle the Earth itself is to the ecliptic plane. However, I always wonder what is the angle Earth is to the galactic plane of the Milky Way, and I have never found the answer. Which is the angle? Which is the angle the ecliptic plane is to the galactic plane? Is it aligned? At which height are we above the galactic plane?
I hope someone have the answer or, at least, a place to look it for.

Many thanks!

Uncertain

Hi Uncertain!

The ecliptic is tilted about 60° to the plane of the Milky Way: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/20 ... .As.r.html (last sentence)

Thank you, Pete!

To take it further, the solar system is inclined at about 60 degrees to the ecliptic plane of the galaxy. The earth is further inclined another 23 degrees. So we are either 83 degrees out of alignment or we are 37 degrees out of alignment. Then there is also our orbital degree of inclination. But that is minimal.