At present, the inclination of the Earth’s equator to the galactic equator is about 63 degrees, and the tilt of the Earth’s rotational axis to the galactic equator is about 27 degrees. So if you live at or near 27 degrees north latitude, the galactic equator aligns with the horizon on May evenings. Conversely, if you live at or near 27 degrees south latitude, the galactic equator aligns with the horizon on November evenings, or some six months later. Read our upcoming May 7 program: Milky Way encircles the horizon on May evenings at http://earthsky.org/tonight/milky-way-encircles-the-horizon-on-may-evenings.

Bruce

Given that the TAR during its total 26K year precessional cycle changes its angle about 45 degrees

Most sources with which I am familiar claim the solar system last passed through the galactic plane around 3 million years ago. Although – as you say – the sun’s revolutionary period around the center of the Milky Way galaxy is somewhere around 250 million years, the sun does bob up and down through the galactic disk like a merry-go-round horse, crossing the plane every 35 million years or so. I give you a link that gives a brief summary of the solar system and the galactic plane at http://www.2012hoax.org/galactic-plane.

Bruce

“the sun will pass through the galactic center
(from earth’s vantage point)” …”that the three points of the earth sun and galactic center will
form a straight line with the sun at the center.”

http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=208935

1. If that can be proved it shows clearly that it is “Galactic alignement” – alignement – in the right meaning of the word itself … 3 points lying on the line. Not that Solar system is crossing Galactic plane. I did not find when the “crossing” might be, anyone knows?

2. Solar system should (or never) cross notional Galactic plane from “above” to “below”. As I thing, It can be only twice during Galactic period. (app. 230 mil years takes to orbit Sun all around our Galaxy)

3. Rotation of Spiral patterns is faster. Wikipedia says Spiral pattern rotation period is 50 million years, Bar pattern rotation period is 15 to 18 million years, Sun’s galactic rotation period is 250 million years(negative rotation).
Question: What is the time when Solar system cross the Galaxy Spiral arms on its orbit arround Galaxy center?
There is theory (of Michael Gillman and Hilary Erenler) which I found could be interesting and covers those crossings and its relation to mass extinctions of species – (found link only)
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1851772

Given that the solar system resides north of the galactic plane and is traveling north of the galactic plane at the rate of 7 kilometers per second, that means we’ll be farther out from the galactic plane in 2012 than we are at present.

Bruce

We have crossed the plane 128.57 times and are due to actually cross again in about 15 million years, then will visually cross on a map about 27 thousand years later.

I don’t think these calculations are even close to being correct since I believe light slows without relation to time as it exits the gravitational center of our galaxy therefore our visual representations of the universe based on photos are completely incorrect without proper correction for time/speed based compensations of the visual light we can see and plot on paper with regard for the actually true current locations based on time and assumed directions of travel.

Computer based extrapolations around the world have all calculated the actual true physical crossing a plane to occur in December of 2012.

Yes, the sun and the stars of our galaxy revolve around the center of the Milky Way. The astronomer Ken Croswell (in his article The Brightest Red Dwarf in the July 2002 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine) reports, “As they orbit the Milky Way, stars bob up and down through the galactic plane like horses on a merry-go-round.” Our sun stands as no exception. According to the astronomer Karen Masters, the sun crosses the galactic plane in periods of about 35 million years. One revolution of the sun around the galactic center takes an estimated 230 million years.

Presently the sun lies north of the galactic plane. Moreover, the sun is continuing to travel northward from the galactic plane at some 7 kilometers per second. The sun last crossed the galactic plane several millions of years ago, and isn’t expected to cross the galactic plane again for many millions of years to come.

Bruce

Given that we\’ve crossed the plane twice in each galactic orbit for as long as the sun\’s been in existence, I guess it\’s safe to assume that nothing catastrophic happens at the stellar scale. Hell, galaxies are so sparse that \”interesting\” events are rare even during galactic COLLISIONS!

On the other hand, what about galactic debris? If there is roughly the same amount of \”stuff\” above the galactic plane as below, and everything changes sides in half an orbit- wouldn\’t it seem reasonable that collision probability is maximum at the equator?

Something the size of a small asteroid hitting the sun might be but a blip on the stellar scale, but on the planetary scale it could ruin your whole day!