If "links"
in graphic above don't work for you, select...
Notes about the view
above
MAIN view General
Notes (and e-mail info)
HOME PAGE (general view)
B.Fenerty (other sites
by, info on, etc)
Graphics and text on/from this web site © Copyright 1999 B Fenerty
Notes (and some fun)
About the View Above
Description of view (see directly
below)
Projects to stretch your imagination...
Back to TOP / view above
- This "90 degree" or "face-on" diagram of the solar system shows the system looking "up" at the southern hemisphere of the Earth (and the same with other planets; though not Uranus - which is tilted over almost in line with the plane of the solar system). Thus the planets would orbit clockwise in this view - which is the opposite of what many (northern hemisphere) diagrams show. Either view is ok, but I have chosen this view to coordinate with the main view...
- Imagine that you move forward in that main view, that is toward the solar system. But keep to the left side of the system, then stop and turn yourself 90 degrees right to face toward the solar system, rather like the cartoon face is doing on the left edge of the main view. You would then see the solar system approximately as shown above on this page. Beyond or behind it you would see some constellations including Hercules towards which our system is presently moving.
(There is also a cartoon face on the drawing above, looking from the right edge towards the solar system, the view you would return to when you go back to the main view. You can click on these "faces" to alternate between views.)
- By alternating the above view with the main view you may get a feel for the three-dimensionality of the orbits and just where the planets are, as would be seen from our inter-system visitor.
- To approximate how the orbits look instead from what some would call "above" (looking at the Earth's northern hemisphere), you could look at your computer monitor in a mirror, or maybe screen-capture the diagram and flip-it horizontally in an art program. (Ah, but can you then pronounce the names of the planets backwards?:-/ )
- About the unusual lightbulb in the graphic above...
- About updating...
- Although not shown here, the Earth's north pole would not not point straight away from us, but at an angle towards the left. I hope sometime to add a sample globe (similar to the one on the main view) in the above diagram so you can see the angle; in the meantime you might have fun trying to estimate yourself how our planet would appear by switching back and forth between the main view and this page. (No fair using a planetarium program for this experiment!) If that is easy, try figuring where you would be on the globe at the time you are reading this (the Earth rotates clockwise on this page, right?)...
- For more fun, after studying and playing with these diagrams, try going outside (or do it inside if the weather dictates, or the teacher says so) and pointing to where you think the centre of the galaxy is at the moment - without first looking at the stars if it happens to be nighttime. Can you imagine the plane of the Milky Way? The plane of the solar system tilting steeply into the galaxy? Now that can be a mind-bender - but it actually becomes possible with a bit of practice. And maybe some day a ship will land and say their navigator is indisposed, could you fill in on a round-trip to the Eagle nebula? With regular viewing of this web site you will be prepared!
- Find out how many years it takes for Pluto to complete one orbit. Then estimate where Pluto would have been on the diagrams for various events, such as the first landing on the moon, the invention of television or airplanes, the Civil War, when Canada or the United States or your country was formed, when telescopes were first used... you'll find Pluto's position in orbit makes an interesting historical clock.
- Find out which two planets have their orbits most OUT of line with the rest of the solar system. The main view may help. Also figure out why mercury's orbit looks offset in the face-on view. And is the 9th planet always the same one?
- Check into which way our solar system is headed. At what speed? Are all the other stars around us moving the same way and speed? Image or draw a picture showing how the Earth might move around the galaxy. (And how long does that take, by the way?) Since out solar system is moving, and our Earth moves around the Sun, try to imagine or even draw what sort of path our planet is actually taking. Do we move forward more in one year than our orbit's diameter, or less? How much? That would affect how our Earths wandering path would look to an inter-system visitor.
- If you are a TV sci-fi fan, find out what directions Star Trek's quadrants are from Earth - not just the name of some star or constellation, but what direction on this web site's diagrams? Or some other places in other TV series. And more rigorous scientifically, what direction on the diagrams would you place Earth's second nearest star? The nearest known brown-dwarf star? The nearest carbon star? The nearest suspected neighboring solar system? Or further out what direction on the diagrams would be the nearest three of four galaxies (not counting dwarf galaxies)?
- Imagine, draw or describe how our solar system would appear (angles of the system's plane, planet positions etc) for a visitor coming straight to Earth from the Andromeda galaxy. From the rather closer Orion nebula (hint; you would be looking more or less TOWARD the centre of the galaxy)?
- At night, when you look at the stars, imagine yourself out there, and what the view would be like of our galaxy and our solar system (albeit small at a distance) as you return Earthward from some of your favourite night sky objects (first figure out the planes of the solar system and of the galaxy, then locate your deep space object and fit it in to these planes, then reverse the view for coming back...)
- Watch for books and shows that correctly (or incorrectly) display the solar system in relation to the galaxy. Maybe write to any professional publishers or producers where blatant errors are found... but don't hold your breath waiting for corrections to occur - various economic or other reasons exist for ignoring some simple facts about our place in the universe. Figure out why a basic understanding of "stellar geography" - at least re our system and the galaxy - could seem something to know to some people, yet others don't want to know. (If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, the detective made a related remark about the usefulness or not of knowing about out-of-this-world facts. Relate his comment to modern learning and technology. Remember, the idea of people walking on the moon was not so long ago a concept expressing silly dreaming.) Could "stellar geography" some day be an actual study course for more than a few students? To what extent would computers be involved... that is would they do all the work and nobody any longer be able to go outside at night and find their way through the stars three-dimensionally just in their thoughts? How does this all relate to spatial aptitude? And does stretching the imagination in one area (say, out in space) help develop the mind for applications maybe more immediately useful in some other area?
- If a tiny black hole, or a rogue comet (from some other system) came flying through our system, imagine how it might perturb and rearrange our solar system's appearance. Might it eventually flip the angle of our solar system in relation to our galaxy or not?
What other related projects or ideas can you think of? Maybe you could e-mail me a brief note and I could add your idea(s) here (subject to editing for brevity etc). Also if you know of related (accurate) books or web sites, that info would be appreciated. See e-mail link on General Notes page, linked below.
Back to TOP / view above MAIN view HOME page (general view)
General Notes (and e-mail info)
B.Fenerty (other sites by, who is)
About the lightbulb:note that the upper half of the bulb is silvered so bright light only shines downwards. This kind of bulb is actually recommended by astronomy groups as one of the ways to help you get more out of your electric budget (light shining into the sky equals wasted money through bills and taxes - and many cities waste large sums using wrong lighting equipment). It is also a way to help reduce night sky light pollution (less sky glow means more stars/galaxies you can see in or near a city. Years ago almost all people had a chance to see the wonders of the night sky from their home - now many have to travel considerable distance to see the inspiring view, and continued urban sprawl with incorrect, dollar wasting light systems expands the problems yet further.) Ask your local astronomy group about ways to save money at the same time you help keep the night sky more visible with more effective personal and community lighting sytems.
back to graphic back to view notes
jump to "project ideas"E-Mail if you would like light-pollution/solution information forwarded to you
(I will arrange for info to be forwarded to you from the Royal
Astronomical Society of Canada. Please mention
light pollution info in your e-mail subject,
since I get e-mail on many topics.)
About updatingThe planet positions are updated approximately once a month. (Updates had been on hold for the late part of 1998 due to internet technicalities, but have resumed January 1999. Be sure to check back again for next month's planet positions.)
back to graphic back to view notes
.