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Ecliptic coordinates are convenient for specifying positions of Solar System objects, as most of the planets' orbits have small inclinations to the ecliptic, and therefore always appear relatively close to it on the sky. Because Earth's orbit, and hence the ecliptic, moves very little, it is a relatively fixed reference with respect to the stars.
In astronomy, the ecliptic coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system commonly used for representing the apparent positions, orbits, and pole orientations [1] of Solar System objects. Because most planets (except Mercury ) and many small Solar System bodies have orbits with only slight inclinations to the ecliptic , using it as the ...
The geocentric ecliptic system was the principal coordinate system for ancient astronomy and is still useful for computing the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon, and planets. [3] It was used to define the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac , for instance.
The plane of the ecliptic (grey) is defined by the Earth's orbit around the Sun, and is distinct from the plane of the celestial sphere 's equator (green), which is permanently tilted 23.4 degrees with respect to the ecliptic. To an observer on Earth, this means that the path the Sun appears to follow upon the celestial sphere is not a straight ...
Diagram of an orbit. The plane of the orbit is in yellow, the reference plain is in gray, and the reference direction (vernal point) is the arrow in red.Also labeled are the mean anomaly (M) in pink, the true anomaly in red, the argument of periapsis (ω) and periapsis in purple, the longitude of ascending node (Ω) in green, and the inclination (i) in dark green.
The north ecliptic pole is located near the Cat's Eye Nebula and the south ecliptic pole is located near the Large Magellanic Cloud. It is impossible anywhere on Earth for either ecliptic pole to be at the zenith in the night sky. By definition, the ecliptic poles are located 90° from the Sun's position.
It is on the celestial equator at both the left and right extremes of the sky chart, with the ecliptic (the orange dotted sine curve) passing through it. The first point of Aries , also known as the cusp of Aries , is the location of the March equinox (the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, and the autumnal equinox in the southern ...
Because of Earth's axial tilt (often known as the obliquity of the ecliptic), the inclination of the Sun's trajectory in the sky (as seen by an observer on Earth's surface) varies over the course of the year. For an observer at a northern latitude, when the north pole is tilted toward the Sun the day lasts longer and the Sun appears higher in ...