equatorial plane
noun
: the plane perpendicular to the spindle of a dividing cell and midway between the poles
Examples of equatorial plane in a Sentence
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The masses closer to the axis of rotation, at the top and the bottom, accelerate toward the equatorial plane, forming a giant disk.
—
Rhett Allain, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2024
That usually means a tilted path, plunging it through the equatorial plane twice each orbit.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2011
That torque is provided by Saturn itself, which has tides that tend to circularize and flatten all the orbits of the moons, confining them to the planet's equatorial plane.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2011
On the far side of the orbit, the spacecraft initially crossed the equatorial plane well beyond the orbit of Ganymede.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 8 June 2021
Conversely, when the lunar plane tilts further away from the equatorial plane, tides on Earth are muted, relatively.
—Brian McNoldy, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2021
Regular: These moons have relatively small orbits, which are often circular and roughly hover along the parent object's equatorial plane.
—Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 7 Apr. 2020
Closer to Taiwan than Tokyo, and on a similar equatorial plane as Hawaii, Okinawa has a tropical climate and vibrant marine life—much of it just off Sunabe.
—Katherine Lagrave, Bon Appétit, 6 Nov. 2019
The spaceplane was launched into a more highly inclined orbit than previous missions—meaning a larger angle off the equatorial plane of the planet.
—Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Sep. 2017
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Rhett Allain, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2024
That usually means a tilted path, plunging it through the equatorial plane twice each orbit.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2011
That torque is provided by Saturn itself, which has tides that tend to circularize and flatten all the orbits of the moons, confining them to the planet's equatorial plane.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2011
On the far side of the orbit, the spacecraft initially crossed the equatorial plane well beyond the orbit of Ganymede.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 8 June 2021
Conversely, when the lunar plane tilts further away from the equatorial plane, tides on Earth are muted, relatively.
—Brian McNoldy, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2021
Regular: These moons have relatively small orbits, which are often circular and roughly hover along the parent object's equatorial plane.
—Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 7 Apr. 2020
Closer to Taiwan than Tokyo, and on a similar equatorial plane as Hawaii, Okinawa has a tropical climate and vibrant marine life—much of it just off Sunabe.
—Katherine Lagrave, Bon Appétit, 6 Nov. 2019
The spaceplane was launched into a more highly inclined orbit than previous missions—meaning a larger angle off the equatorial plane of the planet.
—Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Sep. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Equatorial plane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equatorial%20plane. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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