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If the earth goes around the sun why is the ecliptic not lined up with celestial equator?
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
It's because the Earth's axis is tilted. Therefore the plane of the equator is tilted (at about 23.5 degrees) away from the plane of the Earth's orbit.
Therefore the celestial equator is tilted away from the ecliptic.
Floyd Smith
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What is the imaginary line in the heavens that runs around the earth the earth midway between the celestial poles?
Celestial Equator :)
Where might you find the celestial sphere celestial equator and celestial poles?
These are imaginary locations in the sky. The "celestial sphere" is a blanket term for everything beyond the Earth. The celestial equator is the plane of the Earth's equator extended out into space. The "celestial poles" are extensions of the north pole and south pole into space. It's sometimes convenient to describe objects out in space with reference to terrestrial coordinates.
What is an imaginary line in the middle of the sky called?
The imaginary line in the middle of the sky is called the Celestial Equator. It is basically just like the equator that goes around the earth. It is basically the dividing line of two halves of the earth.
What effect does the earths tilt have on the equator?
No effect at all. However the plane of the equator will be tilted to the same amount as the Earth as compared to the plane in which the Earth orbits the Sun. This plane is called "the ecliptic".
What is the Moon's orbital plane?
The ecliptic. Because it is the plane that contains the earth as it orbits the sun, by definition it is also the plane that contains the sun as we observe it in its yearly journey through the stars.
If the Earth goes around the Sun why is the ecliptic not lined up with the celestial equator?
It's because the Earth's axis is tilted. Therefore the plane of the equator is tilted (at about 23.5 degrees) away from the plane of the Earth's orbit. Therefore the celestial equator is tilted away from the ecliptic.
Which planet's axis of rotation is perpendicular to the plane of its orbit?
That plane contains what is called the celestial equator, the projection into space of earth's equator. Not to be confused with the ecliptic, which is the plane containing earth's orbit around the sun.
What celestial line is created by Earth's revolution around the sun?
Ecliptic
What is the imaginary line in the heavens that runs around the earth the earth midway between the celestial poles?
Celestial Equator :)
What celestial line is a product of the Earth's rotation?
The line that we call the north/south pole.
Where would the ecliptic be in the northern hemisphere?
This is difficult to describe in text, without sketches, but I'll try: -- First, the 'equator' of the sky: That's a line all around the sky that's exactly over the Earth's equator. In your sky, wherever you are, this 'celestial' equator is a semi-circle from the exactly-east point on your horizon to the exactly-west point. Its highest point is due south of you, and at that point, its height above your southern horizon is (90 degrees minus your latitude). If you're on the equator, then the celestial equator passes right over your head. If you're at the north pole, then the celestial equator coincides with your horizon. If you're in Minneapolis, Salem OR, Bangor, Grenoble, Torino, or Belgrade, at 45° north latitude, then it passes 45° above your south horizon. -- The highest of the 3 stars in Orion's belt is on the celestial equator. -- The ecliptic is another line all the way around the sky. It crosses the celestial equator at two places, and it's tilted 231/2 degrees to the equator. So half of the ecliptic is above (north) of the equator, and the other half of it is below the sky's equator. -- Through the day, as the Earth turns, one of the two points where the ecliptic crosses the equator will be in your sky at any one time. The ecliptic will appear high in your sky for half of the day, and low in the sky for the other half. The point where it crosses directly south of you will wiggle up and down through a total of 47 degrees in 24 hours. -- The left pincher of Scorpius and the heart of Leo (Regulus) are on the ecliptic. The eye of Taurus (Aldeberan) is not too far off of it. The ecliptic is actually the line where the plane of Earth's orbit cuts through the 'bowl' of the sky. Some of the results are: -- The sun is always on the ecliptic. -- The planets are always close to the ecliptic. Now, in mid-2013, Jupiter is smack on it. -- The moon is always within about 51/2 degrees of the ecliptic. -- In Summer, the sun is high, so the ecliptic ... with the moon and planets ... is low during the night. -- In Winter, the sun is low, so the ecliptic ... with the moon and planets ... is high during the night. Remember those two points where the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator ? Those points in the sky are the 'equinoxes'. Those points are where the sun is on March 21 and September 21.
What is the origin of the word 'equinox'?
1) Either of two times of the year when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator and day and night are of equal length 2) (astronomy) either of the two celestial points at which the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic known as equinox yash patel
What is the angular tilt between the ecliptic and the celestial equator?
About 23.5 degrees.The celestial equator and the ecliptic are two "great circles" on the sky coordinate system.Think of them as two hoops of the same size, hinged together at two points (well the hinged points do move but very slowly taking about 26 000 years to move around and come back to the same place again). If you hold onesteady and spin the other one inside it, they stay connected at the two hinges, but they canbe set at any angle to each other.Now put them in the sky. Place the steady one right above the equator all the way around, and tiltthe movable one on the hinges so that it makes an angle of 23.5 degrees with the steady one.The steady one, above the earth's equator all the way around, is the celestial equator. The movable one,tilted 23.5 degrees to the equator, is the ecliptic ... the path that the sun appears to travel in the sky,once around in a year. The hinges ... where the ecliptic crosses the equator ... are the points where thesun is located at the time of the two equinoxes. Halfway between the hinges are the points where thetwo circles are farthest apart ... one where the ecliptic is farthest above the equator, the other whereit's farthest below. Those are the points where the sun is located at the time of the two solstices.
Does an eclipse of the sun occur 2-4 times a year?
That depends on how you look at it. In fact the earth orbits the sun and at the same time spins like a top making it LOOK like the sun travels across the sky. in relation to the solar system the sun stands still and the Earth moves.
What is the line that the sun traces across the celestial sphere?
The "ecliptic". In truth, the Sun doesn't move; the apparent motion of the Sun across the sky is caused by the Earth spinning, and the apparent motion of the Sun across the "celestial sphere" is caused by the Earth orbiting the Sun. But the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun is what causes the apparent motion of the Sun across the celestial sphere, so the "ecliptic" is actually the plane of the Earth's orbit.
Is the equator tilted on earth?
The equator makes an angle of roughly 23.5 degrees with the ecliptic plane.
Explain why there is an angle on the ecliptic that is called obliquity on the eclipticwhat is its importance?
it is because the angle between the plane of the earth,s orbit of that of the celestial equator equal to approximately 23"27 minutes at pressent
