Why? Because Earth, like all the planets in our solar system, orbits the sun along a line across a flat, disc-shaped plane in the sky known as the ecliptic. That means all the spacecraft we launch ...

Spacecraft Takes First-Ever Images of the Sun's South Pole from Outside the Ecliptic Plane. Published: 20 Jun 2025, 23:16 UTC • By: Daniel Patrascu. 13 photos. Photo: ESA.

For folks in the United States, July evenings mean 4th of July fireworks. While you're waiting for the show, be sure to watch ...

Mercury reaches its point of greatest eastern elongation on Friday (July 4), presenting an excellent opportunity to spot the ...

This is due to the ecliptic plane, the path along which the planets orbit the sun. What happens after February? The seven-planet alignment ends after Feb. 28 as Saturn moves out of view.

This is due to the ecliptic plane, the path along which the planets orbit the sun. What happens after February? The seven-planet alignment ends after Feb. 28 as Saturn moves out of view.

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter, which launched in 2020 from Cape Canaveral, captured the first-ever images of the sun's south pole.