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The ecliptic forms the center of the zodiac, a celestial belt about 20° wide in latitude through which the Sun, Moon, and planets always appear to move. [33] Traditionally, this region is divided into 12 signs of 30° longitude, each of which approximates the Sun's motion in one month. [ 34 ]
The term "zodiac" may also refer to the region of the celestial sphere encompassing the paths of the planets corresponding to the band of about 8 arc degrees above and below the ecliptic. The zodiac of a given planet is the band that contains the path of that particular body; e.g., the "zodiac of the Moon" is the band of 5° above and below the ...
From antiquity through the 18th century, ecliptic longitude was commonly measured using twelve zodiacal signs, each of 30° longitude, a practice that continues in modern astrology. The signs approximately corresponded to the constellations crossed by the ecliptic. Longitudes were specified in signs, degrees, minutes, and seconds.
Along its yearly path through the zodiac, the Sun meets the celestial equator as it travels from south to north at the first point of Aries, and from north to south at the first point of Libra. The first point of Aries is considered to be the celestial " prime meridian " from which right ascension is calculated.
The Zodiac is a group of 12 constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces. Some version of these constellations are found in traditions around the world, for this band around the celestial sphere includes the ecliptic , the apparent path of the sun through the year.
The dates the Sun passes through the 12 astronomical constellations of the ecliptic are listed below, accurate to the year 2011. The dates will progress by an increment of one day every 70.5 years. The dates will progress by an increment of one day every 70.5 years.
Eclipse season starts on March 25 with the lunar eclipse in Libra and ends on April 8, 2024, with the solar eclipse in Aries.
This division of the ecliptic originated in the Babylonian "ideal calendar" found in the old compendium MUL.APIN and its combination with the Babylonian lunar calendar, [8] represented as the "path of the moon" in MUL.APIN. In a way, the zodiac is the idealisation of an ideal lunar calendar.