Is the north end of the earth the front of the spaceship? Or are we traveling “sideways”?
Since Leo is part of the Zodiac, i.e. it lies along the ecliptic circle from our POV, we must conclude that we are travelling “sideways”, as you suggest. And since the sun is in Leo in August, a month shy of the autumnal equinox, this is very close to the equatorial plane of the earth. So the answer is very definitely, “sideways”.
Is the north end of the earth the front of the spaceship? Or are we traveling “sideways�
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Yes!
The Earth, while spinning (rotating) is traveling “sideways” as it revolves (orbits) around the Sun. Our axis is slightly tilted in relation to the plane of our orbit (hence, the seasons). Our axis always points, just about, to the North Star, Polaris. Of course there are many bodies in our solar system each with its own rather fixed path. But our solar system, with all its moving parts, is headed toward where Leo currently is (because our solar system supposedly is circling the Milky Way which itself is moving towards where Leo currently is). We can say our solar system is “circling” the Milky Way Galaxy because they tell us that we are on an outer edge of the Galaxy and that the Galaxy is spinning. But, the Andromeda Galaxy is in the path of the direction we are moving, so we will collide with it before we reach whatever will be in the direction of where Leo currently is.