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 Gamma Ray Sky

The Gamma Ray Sky

12/01/2002

A 2001 Leonids Meteor Shower Fireball

A 2001 Leonids Meteor Shower Fireball

19/11/2001

The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz

The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz

20/10/2001

X-Rays from the Galactic Plane

X-Rays from the Galactic Plane

14/08/2001

The Galactic Center in Infrared

The Galactic Center in Infrared

08/07/2001

All-Sky Panorama

All-Sky Panorama

02/02/2001

Billows of Smog in the Outer Galaxy

Billows of Smog in the Outer Galaxy

15/01/2001

ROSAT Explores The X-Ray Sky

ROSAT Explores The X-Ray Sky

19/08/2000

The Galactic Center Across the Infrared

The Galactic Center Across the Infrared

05/07/2000

The W4 Chimney

The W4 Chimney

07/02/2000

The Frothy Milky Way

The Frothy Milky Way

09/10/1999

The Galactic Center in Infrared

The Galactic Center in Infrared

21/06/1999

The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz

The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz

03/04/1999

NGC 6712: Galactic Globular Cluster

NGC 6712: Galactic Globular Cluster

25/02/1999

The Galactic Center - A Radio Mystery

The Galactic Center - A Radio Mystery

28/01/1999

7,000 Stars And The Milky Way

7,000 Stars And The Milky Way

23/05/1998

The Frothy Milky Way

The Frothy Milky Way

02/05/1998

The Gamma Ray Sky

The Gamma Ray Sky

21/03/1998

The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz

The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz

14/12/1997

7,000 Stars And The Milky Way

7,000 Stars And The Milky Way

17/05/1997

A Galactic Cloud of Antimatter Credit:

A Galactic Cloud of Antimatter
Credit:

01/05/1997

The Frothy Milky Way Credit:

The Frothy Milky Way 
Credit:

24/04/1997

The Gamma Ray Sky Credit:

The Gamma Ray Sky
Credit:

22/02/1997

The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz Credit:

The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz
Credit:

26/11/1996

ROSAT Explores the X-Ray Sky

ROSAT Explores the X-Ray Sky

08/10/1996

Stars in the Infrared Sky

Stars in the Infrared Sky

18/09/1996

COMPTEL Explores The Radioactive Sky

COMPTEL Explores The Radioactive Sky

24/07/1996

7,000 Stars And The Milky Way

7,000 Stars And The Milky Way

13/02/1996