<p>There is no difference in the number of cosmic particles.</p>

<p>You seem to imagine that there are static clouds of gas in the universe that the sun is moving through.  This is not the case. The gas in the galaxy is orbiting at roughly the same speed as the sun.</p>

<p>The sun does have some proper motion relative to the interstellar medium, but the interstellar medium doesn't penetrate the bubble formed by the solar wind.</p>

<p>There is no dragging. The gravity of the galaxy affects both sun and planets, we all move around the galaxy together. There is no shifting of the plane at all.</p>

<p>Interstellar particles are found in ice cores, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282650791_The_Episodic_Influx_of_Tin-rich_Cosmic_Dust_Particles_During_the_Last_Ice_Age" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a paper</a> suggests that variation in the rate of cosmic radiation may cause hydromagnetic shocks that could transport metal rich dust into the inner solar system. No 30 million year periodicity is mentioned.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T10:46:11.983Z
Thanks, that makes sense. Is the bubble of the solar wind spherical or egg shaped, either pointed behind by the motion through the interstellar medium, or pointed towards the gravitational pull of the galaxy?
Rrobby
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T11:00:14.973Z
Ok, I just found this: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-017-0115  The bubble-like shape of the heliosphere observed by Voyager and Cassini  Cheers
Rrobby
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T11:13:26.703Z
Sorry, is it the North or South Pole that’s facing ‘forwards?’ More for the fun of thinking, which pole is the ‘top’ of the world.
Rrobby
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T12:19:37.127Z
North, rellative to the centre of the galaxy, we're heading towards Cygnus (roughly).
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-24T15:35:57.963Z
[Our sun is moving through the local interstellar gas cloud approximately into the direction of Scorpio with a speed of about 25 km/sec. As a result of this motion, an interstellar wind with that speed is blowing through our planetary system.](http://espg.sr.unh.edu/ism/LISM.html). Scorpio is near the galactic centre.
Keith McClary
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-25T18:10:59.983Z
Hi, I came here looking for the answer to the question you consider "fun:" which pole is the "top" of the world? Thanks @JamesK for the answer. Does anyone think this merits its own separate question on the site?
martin jakubik
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T09:29:21.140Z
2018-04-05T09:29:21.140Z
James K
<p>The plane of the solar system is at 63 degrees <a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/546/why-is-our-solar-system-tipped-about-63-with-respect-to-the-plane-of-our-gala/25750#25750">to the plane of the galaxy</a>, then either the North or South Pole of Earth would be on the ‘leading edge,’ i.e. pointing roughly in the direction of movement around the galaxy (+/-23.5 degrees depending on the direction of the tilt of the earth at the time). Would there be any effect on the atmosphere at the front of this direction of travel caused by additional collision / friction with space dust or solar wind? For example, if the South Pole was on the leading edge, could something like the ozone hole be exacerbated by interstellar particles, or could the auroras be more spectacular at the pole that points forwards? If so, is there evidence of seasonal variation in these effects as the tilt of the earth increases or decreases that pole’s angle towards the direction of the sun’s movement along the galactic plane?  </p>

<p>Also, would the plane of the planets be shifted slightly to the rear of the midline of the sun because the sun is, in effect, dragging them behind it?</p>

<p>Finally, is there any evidence of increase or decrease in the above postulated effect depending on whether the solar system is above or below the galactic plane during its 30 million year <a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/10267/what-is-the-direction-of-the-movement-of-the-solar-system-in-relation-to-the-gal">oscillation</a>? E.g. if there were more interstellar dust while passing through the mid-plane, would that leave a 30 million year signature in polar ice-core samples?</p>

<solar-system><galactic-dynamics><solar-wind>
Direction of Earth’s poles relative to the Sun’s movement around the Galaxy
Rrobby
# Direction of Earth’s poles relative to the Sun’s movement around the Galaxy

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-05)

The plane of the solar system is at 63 degrees [to the plane of the galaxy](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/546/why-is-our-solar-system-tipped-about-63-with-respect-to-the-plane-of-our-gala/25750#25750), then either the North or South Pole of Earth would be on the ‘leading edge,’ i.e. pointing roughly in the direction of movement around the galaxy (+/-23.5 degrees depending on the direction of the tilt of the earth at the time). Would there be any effect on the atmosphere at the front of this direction of travel caused by additional collision / friction with space dust or solar wind? For example, if the South Pole was on the leading edge, could something like the ozone hole be exacerbated by interstellar particles, or could the auroras be more spectacular at the pole that points forwards? If so, is there evidence of seasonal variation in these effects as the tilt of the earth increases or decreases that pole’s angle towards the direction of the sun’s movement along the galactic plane?

Also, would the plane of the planets be shifted slightly to the rear of the midline of the sun because the sun is, in effect, dragging them behind it?

Finally, is there any evidence of increase or decrease in the above postulated effect depending on whether the solar system is above or below the galactic plane during its 30 million year [oscillation](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/10267/what-is-the-direction-of-the-movement-of-the-solar-system-in-relation-to-the-gal)? E.g. if there were more interstellar dust while passing through the mid-plane, would that leave a 30 million year signature in polar ice-core samples?

**Tags:** solar-system, galactic-dynamics, solar-wind


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-04-05. Score: 4

There is no difference in the number of cosmic particles.

You seem to imagine that there are static clouds of gas in the universe that the sun is moving through. This is not the case. The gas in the galaxy is orbiting at roughly the same speed as the sun.

The sun does have some proper motion relative to the interstellar medium, but the interstellar medium doesn't penetrate the bubble formed by the solar wind.

There is no dragging. The gravity of the galaxy affects both sun and planets, we all move around the galaxy together. There is no shifting of the plane at all.

Interstellar particles are found in ice cores, [a paper](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282650791_The_Episodic_Influx_of_Tin-rich_Cosmic_Dust_Particles_During_the_Last_Ice_Age) suggests that variation in the rate of cosmic radiation may cause hydromagnetic shocks that could transport metal rich dust into the inner solar system. No 30 million year periodicity is mentioned.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, that makes sense. Is the bubble of the solar wind spherical or egg shaped, either pointed behind by the motion through the interstellar medium, or pointed towards the gravitational pull of the galaxy?  
> **username_0**: Ok, I just found this: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-017-0115  The bubble-like shape of the heliosphere observed by Voyager and Cassini  Cheers  
> **username_0**: Sorry, is it the North or South Pole that’s facing ‘forwards?’ More for the fun of thinking, which pole is the ‘top’ of the world.  
> **username_1**: North, rellative to the centre of the galaxy, we're heading towards Cygnus (roughly).  
> **username_2**: [Our sun is moving through the local interstellar gas cloud approximately into the direction of Scorpio with a speed of about 25 km/sec. As a result of this motion, an interstellar wind with that speed is blowing through our planetary system.](http://espg.sr.unh.edu/ism/LISM.html). Scorpio is near the galactic centre.  
> **username_3**: Hi, I came here looking for the answer to the question you consider "fun:" which pole is the "top" of the world? Thanks @JamesK for the answer. Does anyone think this merits its own separate question on the site?  

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