Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • BBC Sky at Night

    CUTTING EDGE

    Apr 22, 2021 4 minutes

    Planets orbit around a backwards spinning star

    A planetary system appears to have been pulled out of line by a neighbouring star

    Our Solar System is nicely ordered. All the planets move around the Sun in more-or-less perfect circles, and all their orbits are aligned in the same plane – like marbles rolling around the same dinner plate. This is known as the plane of the ecliptic, and it’s the reason why the Sun, the Moon and all the planets appear to move along the same narrow band in our skies – the zodiac. The Sun’s own rotation is aligned in the same way (well, it has an axial tilt of just 7°) so that the solar equator lies along the plane

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from BBC Sky at Night

    BBC Sky at Night2 min read
    We've Misunderstood The Universe
    There’s something wrong with our understanding of the Universe and, as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has just confirmed, it doesn’t seem to be an observational error. One of the biggest mysteries in cosmology is the ‘Hubble tension’, the puzz
    BBC Sky at Night2 min read
    Comets And Asteroids
    Minor planet 2 Pallas reaches opposition on 17 May when it can be found shining within the stars of Hercules at magnitude +8.9. At this brightness, it’s a tricky binocular find, but a small telescope should pick it up without any difficulty. Pallas w
    BBC Sky at Night1 min read
    Parker's Design Features
    To withstand the extreme heat and radiation found in our star’s immediate neighbourhood, Parker Solar Probe is protected by a 2.3-metre-diameter (7.5ft) hexagonal solar shield, weighing just 73kg (160lb) and mounted on its Sunfacing side. This shield

    Related Books & Audiobooks