11-19-2012, 12:54 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-19-2012, 12:54 PM by Tenet Nosce.)
I am of the understanding the notion of the "galactic center alignment" has been disproven.
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials...ne-in-2012
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials...ne-in-2012
Quote:The galactic plane is the actual mid-plane or center line of our galaxy’s huge spinning disk of stars. We are not located on the exact mid-plane of the galaxy. It’s this exact mid-plane people are speaking about when they speak of crossing something.
How far are we from it? You might think that astronomers have this number at their fingertips, but they don’t. We’re at least several dozen light-years from it, maybe more. If you’re interested in how astronomers discuss these things, check out this letter from John Bachall and Safi Bachall printed in the journal Nature in 1985. It suggests our Earth and sun are currently above the plane (to the galactic North) by about 75 to 101 light-years.