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  2. Astronomical coordinate systems - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_coordinate...

    The fundamental plane is the plane of the Earth's orbit, called the ecliptic plane. There are two principal variants of the ecliptic coordinate system: geocentric ecliptic coordinates centered on the Earth and heliocentric ecliptic coordinates centered on the center of mass of the Solar System.

  3. Ecliptic - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecliptic

    The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of Earth around the Sun. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ a ] It was a central concept in a number of ancient sciences, providing the framework for key measurements in astronomy, astrology and calendar-making.

  4. Ecliptic coordinate system - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecliptic_coordinate_system

    Because it is a right-handed system, ecliptic longitude is measured positive eastwards in the fundamental plane (the ecliptic) from 0° to 360°. Because of axial precession , the ecliptic longitude of most "fixed stars" (referred to the equinox of date) increases by about 50.3 arcseconds per year, or 83.8 arcminutes per century, the speed of ...

  5. Orbital elements - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_elements

    Î, Ĵ is in the equatorial plane of the central body. Î is in the direction of the vernal equinox. Ĵ is perpendicular to Î and with Î defines the reference plane. K̂ is perpendicular to the reference plane. Orbital elements of bodies (planets, comets, asteroids, ...) in the Solar System usually the ecliptic as that plane.

  6. Equatorial coordinate system - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equatorial_coordinate_system

    Geocentric equatorial coordinates. The origin is the centre of the Earth. The fundamental plane is the plane of the Earth's equator. The primary direction (the x axis) is the March equinox. A right-handed convention specifies a y axis 90° to the east in the fundamental plane; the z axis is the north polar axis.

  7. Orbital inclination - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_inclination

    It is expressed as the angle between a reference plane and the orbital plane or axis of direction of the orbiting object. For a satellite orbiting the Earth directly above the Equator, the plane of the satellite's orbit is the same as the Earth's equatorial plane, and the satellite's orbital inclination is 0°. The general case for a circular ...

  8. What the World Has Learned From Past Eclipses - AOL

    www.aol.com/world-learned-past-eclipses...

    As the Moon goes around Earth, it, too, crosses the plane of the ecliptic twice in a year. The ascending node is where the Moon moves into the northern ecliptic. The descending node is where the ...

  9. Orbital node - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_node

    In this case, non-inclined orbits are called equatorial. [2] For a heliocentric orbit, the ecliptic or invariable plane. In this case, non-inclined orbits are called ecliptic. [2] For an orbit outside the Solar System, the plane through the primary perpendicular to a line through the observer and the primary (called the plane of the sky). [3]