ecliptic
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.3|As seen from the orbiting Earth, the [[Sun appears to move with respect to the fixed stars, and the ecliptic is the yearly path the Sun follows on the celestial sphere. This process repeats itself in a cycle lasting a little over 365 days.]]
AI overview
The ecliptic is the path that the Sun appears to follow across the sky throughout the year as seen from Earth. This apparent motion repeats in a cycle of about 365 days and helps us track the Sun's position relative to the stars.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Sun's apparent motion
- Relationship to the celestial equator
- Obliquity of the ecliptic {{anchor|Obliquity}}
- Plane of the Solar System
- Celestial reference plane
- Eclipses
- Equinoxes and solstices
- In the constellations
- Astrology
- See also
- Notes and references
- External links
thumb|upright=1.3|As seen from the orbiting Earth, the [[Sun appears to move with respect to the fixed stars, and the ecliptic is the yearly path the Sun follows on the celestial sphere. This process repeats itself in a cycle lasting a little over 365 days.]]
The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of Earth around the Sun. It was a central concept in a number of ancient sciences, providing the framework for key measurements in astronomy, astrology and calendar-making.