<p>Equatorial coordinates have their equator and poles at the equator of the earth and the poles at the earth each projected onto the sky. </p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/J0O1Z.gif" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/J0O1Z.gif" alt="Equatorial Coordinates:"></a></p>

<p>Supergalactic coordinates on the other hand have their equator in the same plane as the "Supergalactic plane", which comes from the distribution of nearby galaxy clusters. And the poles just perpendicular to the the plane.You can kind of see this preferred plane in the image below.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ZZ1Q9.gif" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ZZ1Q9.gif" alt="Credit: R. Powell"></a></p>

<p>One is therefore just a rotated or tilted version of the other. To be precise the north poles of Supergalactic coordinates lies at approximately RA = 18.9h, Dec = +15.7° in Equatorial coordinates. </p>

<p>See also here <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_coordinate_system" rel="noreferrer">here</a> for a comparison of common celestial coordinate systems. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-24T08:51:07.400Z
2019-07-24T08:51:07.400Z
SpaceCore
<p>What's the difference between Supergalactic and Equatorial coordinates?</p>

<milky-way><galactic-dynamics>
Supergalactic and Equatorial coordinates
Max
# Supergalactic and Equatorial coordinates

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-23)

What's the difference between Supergalactic and Equatorial coordinates?

**Tags:** milky-way, galactic-dynamics

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-07-24. Score: 5

Equatorial coordinates have their equator and poles at the equator of the earth and the poles at the earth each projected onto the sky.

[![Equatorial Coordinates:](https://i.sstatic.net/J0O1Z.gif)](https://i.sstatic.net/J0O1Z.gif)

Supergalactic coordinates on the other hand have their equator in the same plane as the "Supergalactic plane", which comes from the distribution of nearby galaxy clusters. And the poles just perpendicular to the the plane.You can kind of see this preferred plane in the image below.

[![Credit: R. Powell](https://i.sstatic.net/ZZ1Q9.gif)](https://i.sstatic.net/ZZ1Q9.gif)

One is therefore just a rotated or tilted version of the other. To be precise the north poles of Supergalactic coordinates lies at approximately RA = 18.9h, Dec = +15.7° in Equatorial coordinates.

See also here [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_coordinate_system) for a comparison of common celestial coordinate systems.


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