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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.
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 15 February 2025. Astronomical event where one body is hidden by another For other uses, see Eclipse (disambiguation). "Total eclipse" redirects here. For other uses, see Total eclipse (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Eclipes. Totality during the 1999 solar eclipse. Solar prominences can be seen ...