: the plane perpendicular to the spindle of a dividing cell and midway between the poles
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebOn 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
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1892, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
equatorial plane
noun
: the plane perpendicular to the spindle of a dividing cell and midway between the poles