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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That is similar to the orbits of the planets in the solar system, which are aligned almost to the equatorial plane of the sun.
—
Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2025
That’s because every spacecraft orbiting the star, along with every planet in our solar system, swoops around the sun in a flat disk called the ecliptic plane, which is tilted just 7.25 degrees relative to the sun’s equatorial plane.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025
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
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
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
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Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2025
That’s because every spacecraft orbiting the star, along with every planet in our solar system, swoops around the sun in a flat disk called the ecliptic plane, which is tilted just 7.25 degrees relative to the sun’s equatorial plane.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025
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
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
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
Cite this Entry
“Equatorial plane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equatorial%20plane. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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