Coplanarity Between Solar System and the Galaxy

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EXPLANATION OF THE MODEL:

It is not simple to position of our Solar System with respect to the Plane of the galaxy -the Milky Way. There are few books of Astronomy screening a diagram of the coplanarity of the Solar System with the galaxy, so we regularly think that what is "up" or north for the Earth it is also "up" or north for the galaxy. However, the plane of the Solar System is not coplanar with the plane of the Milky Way, but it is tilted almost 90°.

The Solar System describes three kinds of motion, each one at a specific speed and with a limited alternation:

1. The wider and fastest movement is the orbital motion of the Solar System around the nucleus of our galaxy. The speed of the Solar System orbital motion around the center of the galaxy is 217.215 Km/s. The Solar System completes one track around the galaxy each ~226 million years.

2. The second movement, described in most of astronomy books, is the oscillation of the Solar System from north to south and vice versa with respect to the galactic plane. It is a swing upwards and downwards, determined mainly by the gravitational pull among the celestial bodies in the Solar System. The speed of this movement is of 7 Km/second.

3. The third movement is in route towards the center of the galaxy and the order reversed or moving away from the center of the galaxy. It is also a swinging movement, but influenced by the gravitational pull of outer and inner celestial bodies of the galaxy that are near to the Solar System. This motion has a speed of 20 Km/s, and it is drawing now toward Hercules constellation.

Seen altogether the three movements confer to the Solar System an apparent helical motion around the nucleus of the galaxy. (See a diagram about the motions of the Solar System).

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EXPLANATION OF THE MODEL:

The plane of the Solar System is tilted about 90° with the plane of the Galaxy. The Solar System is in the Orion Arm (called also Orion Spur), inner with respect to Perseus Arm.

The orbital motion is represented by the slashed large line. This motion has a speed of 217.215 Km/s, hence the Solar System takes 226 million years to complete one lap around the Galactic Nucleus.

The movement onward-backward the nucleus of the Milky Way is determined by the gravitational pull of the nucleus and the stars situated inner the orbital track of the Solar System and by the gravitational pull of the stars outer from the track of the Solar System. This movement has a speed of 20 Km/s.

The motion upwards-downwards the plane of the galaxy are influenced by the motions of the bodies that constitute the Solar System, including the motions of the Sun. The speed of this movement is 5-7 Km/s and comprehends about 20 light years.

The helical blue slashed line represents the apparent motion if we sum the three motions of the Solar System.

(See a model about the motions of the Solar System and the encounter of the Solar System with interstellar clouds of high cosmic radiation).

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EXPLANATION OF THE ILLUSTRATION:

The orbital motion of the Solar System is represented by the yellow slashed line. The Solar System moves at 217.215 Km/s around the Galactic Nucleus.

The Cosmic Cloud is situated up and ahead the Solar System. The Cosmic Cloud is going onwards-backwards the nucleus of the Milky Way at 15-20 Km/s. It is approaching the Solar System at a relative speed of 37 Km/s. We think our Solar System will encounter the cloud at any moment in the next years. Right now, we are experiencing some large “puffs” of dust and cosmic radiation, but those are not part of the main cloud.

THE MOTION OF THE COSMIC CLOUDS AND THE INTERSTELLAR MATERIAL THAT FORM THE ARMS OF THE GALAXY ARE QUITE APART FROM THE MOVEMENTS OF THE STARS THAT ARE ORIGINATED IN THOSE CLOUDS.

There are other large "bubbles" of Cosmic Radiation (Interstellar Wind) that will shock with the Solar Wind, causing changes in the activity of the Sun and in the climate of the Planets of the Solar System. The starships Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 have detected high densities of Cosmic Radiation that are affecting the climate on Earth and other planets of the Solar System. The changes have been manifested like increases of the Tropospheric Temperature on Earth above the standard fluctuations. The warming and the climate change have been detected also in Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto. Some satellites of Jupiter and Saturn are experiencing global warming and climate change.

Nasif Nahle

Biologist

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

E. C. Stone et all. Voyager Explores the Termination Shock Region and the Heliosheat Beyond. Science; Vol. 309, pages 2017 - 2020. 23. September 2005.

Maoz, Dan. Astrophysics in a Nutshell. 2007. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. Pp. 140-147

R. B. Decker et all. Voyager 1 in the Foreshock, Termination Shock, and Heliosheat. Science; Vol. 309, pp 2020-2024. 23 September, 2005.

Shu, Frank H. The Physical Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy. 1982. University Science Books. Sausalito, CA.

Vidal-Madjar, A.; Laurent, C.; Bruston, P.; Audouze, J. Is the Solar System Entering a Nearby Interstellar Cosmic Cloud? The Astrophysical Journal. Vol. 223; pp. 589-600. July 15, 1978. Website: http://adsabs.harvard.edu. Last reading on December 05, 2006.

Brecher, Kenneth. Galaxy. World Book Online Reference Center. 2005. World Book, Inc.

http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar215080.

http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~vicki/AST3019/MilkyWay.ppt

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