Back to Glossary
Galactic Plane
The Galactic Plane is the plane in which the majority of a disk-shaped galaxy's mass lies. In the case of the Milky Way, it is the plane of the galaxy's disk, encompassing the spiral arms, stars, gas, and dust. This plane is used as the reference for the galactic coordinate system.
Source: asd.gsfc.nasa.gov
APODs including "Galactic Plane"
The Far 3kpc Arm
11/07/2008
Spitzer's Milky Way
05/06/2008
The Galactic Center Radio Arc
27/04/2008
The Universe Nearby
11/12/2007
The Closest Galaxy: Canis Major Dwarf
04/11/2007
A Spectacular Sky Over the Grand Tetons
14/08/2007
The Galactic Center in Infrared
16/07/2006
Edge-On Galaxy NGC 5866
12/06/2006
Smoke from the Cigar Galaxy
14/04/2006
GLIMPSE the Milky Way
16/12/2005
Dusty Environs of Eta Carinae
15/10/2005
The Stars of NGC 300
20/08/2005
NGC 4565: Galaxy on the Edge
08/07/2005
The Galactic Center Radio Arc
03/04/2005
The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz
05/02/2005
The Galactic Center in Infrared
07/11/2004
Supernova Remnant Imaged in Gamma Rays
05/11/2004
Glimpse of a Globular Star Cluster
14/10/2004
The Stars of NGC 300
16/04/2004
Journey to the Center of the Galaxy
11/04/2004
NGC 4565: Galaxy on the Edge
09/04/2004
Canis Major Dwarf: A New Closest Galaxy
17/11/2003
The Galactic Center in Infrared
07/09/2003
Journey to the Center of the Galaxy
25/10/2002
Dusty Environs of Eta Carinae
10/10/2002
The Galactic Center - A Radio Mystery
03/08/2002
Counting Stars in the Infrared Sky
19/07/2002
The Galactic Center Across the Infrared
07/07/2002
The Galactic Center Radio Arc
21/05/2002
A Radio Vista of Cygnus
18/02/2002