The solar system is like a big rotating disk, so it has an axis. Where do the two ends of the axis point in space?
To put it another way, where in the sky are the two furthest points from the ecliptic?
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1$\begingroup$ What do you mean with where do they point? They point towards north and south pole of the invariable plane. Did you mean to ask if there's any stars or constellations that they currently point to? Because that would change in time and it's also likely a question more suitable for Astronomy. Please don't cross-post tho. If it's deemed off-topic here, it will be migrated for you, provided that you first edit to clarify. Thanks! $\endgroup$– TildalWaveCommented Jul 22, 2015 at 17:32
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2$\begingroup$ This question belongs on Astronomy. $\endgroup$– gerritCommented Jul 23, 2015 at 10:10
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1$\begingroup$ @gerrit It would, but I can't migrate unclear questions anywhere. I mean, I can but I would take issues with that, and I suspect the target site also. OP was invited to clarify and once that is done, it can be migrated. Cheers! $\endgroup$– TildalWaveCommented Jul 23, 2015 at 11:30
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$\begingroup$ You can clarify your question this way: I believe planets rotate around an axis near Sun's center, in planes close to the one of the Earth's rotation (the Ecliptic plane). Can you explain where is the rotation axis exactly, and how it projects on the sky. Does the Sun's spin axis coincide with the former axis? After you question is clear, it will be migrated to Astronomy where you will get more complete answers, and more readers too. $\endgroup$– minsCommented Jul 23, 2015 at 20:37
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1 Answer
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The common reference in the Solar System isn't the sun's rotation, but the ecliptic plane, or the invariant plane. The ecliptic plane is nearly constant, on the order of thousands of years, and is the plane around which the Earth revolves around the Sun, and the invariant plane involves the momentum of the objects in the Solar System, and is thus dominated by Jupiter. The difference between the two is less than 2 degrees, and is thus sufficient for our purposes. Here is a view of the north Ecliptic Plane, followed by the south, grabbed from Wikipedia.
For reference, the Sun is close to that pole, only 6 degrees off, although I'm not sure about declination.
answered Jul 23, 2015 at 2:11
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$\begingroup$ You may want to add this image to your answer. It shows the location of several specific points,including the projection of the northward normals to the ecliptic plane and to the Sun's equator. Source. $\endgroup$– minsCommented Jul 23, 2015 at 20:18
