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galactic pole

American  

noun

Astronomy.

  1. either of the two opposite points on the celestial sphere that are farthest north and south of the Milky Way.

Etymology

Origin of galactic pole

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The result of all the counts will be that the richness of the sky in stars is least around the galactic pole, and increases in every direction towards the Milky Way.

From Side-Lights on Astronomy and Kindred Fields of Popular Science by Newcomb, Simon

Let us next count the number of stars visible in a powerful telescope in the region of the heavens around the galactic pole, now our zenith, and find the average number per square degree.

From Side-Lights on Astronomy and Kindred Fields of Popular Science by Newcomb, Simon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.