--- Canopus56 <canopus56@yahoo.com> wrote:
Website announce: Consolidated DSO Catalogues - Clark, Herschel 400, Messier and Caldwell http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/Clarkxref/ClarkXrefProject.... <snip all>
Added the following 3D renderings in self-loading Cortona VRML with MS-Internet Explorer. These may be of use for general public astronomy education: Jpg sample screen shot: http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/Clarkxref/img/EclipticGalPl... 3D Earth and the Ecliptic Plane (VRML) http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/Clarkxref/vrml/WorldClarkSo... 3D Earth and the Ecliptic Plane and the Milky Way Galaxy (VRML) http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/Clarkxref/vrml/WorldClarkSo... 3D Earth and the Ecliptic Plane, rotated to the Milky Way Galaxy plane (VRML) http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/Clarkxref/vrml/WorldClarkSo... in: http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/Clarkxref/ClarkXrefProject.... - Canopus56 =================== Narrative description of the 3D renderings: Visualizing the Earth's orbit - the ecliptic - with respect to the Milky Way's galactic plane can be difficult. The following 3D renderings provide a supplemental visual aid. In the 3D renderings, the orbit of the Earth is greatly exaggerated in size. If drawn to scale, the entire solar system would be a minisule point at the intersection of the axes. The Earth is shown at the equinoxes and solstices. Two sticks pierce each Earth. The black stick shows the orientation of the Earth's axis and runs through the Earth's North and South poles. The second red stick piercing each Earth shows the geographic location of an observer at 40 degrees North latitude in North America. The Earth is rotated to its relative position at midnight. The direction of the tilt of the Earth's axis is fixed and remains the same regardless of its orbital position as the Earth revolves around the Sun in a counterclockwise direction. This results in some visual anomalies. On the day of the vernal or spring equinox at midnight, the Earth is tilted away from the direction of the Earth's travel in its orbit. On the day of the summer solstice at midnight, the Earth is tilted perpendicular to direction of orbit but pointed towards the Sun. On the autumnal equinox at midnight, the Earth is tilted towards the direction of orbital travel; and, at the winter solstice, perpendicular to its orbital travel, but away from the Sun. In the 3D renderings, next to each Earth globe are floating panels that show the corresponding view of the night sky at 12AM and 9PM local time. The user can rotate the 3D renderings in order to build a better map of the relationship of the Earth's orbit to the Milky Way's plane and structure. A bright green line that extends from the origin of the axes in the 3D renderings represents the solar apex, or the apparent direction that the Solar System is moving. The solar apex is in the constellation Hercules (J164605.13+100731.9, G027.70+32.40). __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com