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.
The angle between the equinoctial and the ecliptic is known as the obliquity of the ecliptic. It is the angle between the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun and the plane of the celestial equator. Currently, the obliquity of the ecliptic is about 23.5 degrees.
The celestial equator is the imaginary line in the heavens that runs around the Earth midway between the celestial poles. It is an extension of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere and divides the sky into northern and southern hemispheres.
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.
The imaginary extension of Earth's equator into space is called the celestial equator. It is an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth's equator, dividing the celestial sphere into northern and southern hemispheres.
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.
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.
The celestial line that is a product of Earth's rotation is the celestial equator. It is an imaginary line located above Earth's equator and is created as a result of Earth's rotation on its axis. It divides the celestial sphere into northern and southern hemispheres.
The angle between the equinoctial and the ecliptic is known as the obliquity of the ecliptic. It is the angle between the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun and the plane of the celestial equator. Currently, the obliquity of the ecliptic is about 23.5 degrees.
The plane of Earth's orbit is known as the ecliptic. It is the flat plane in space that represents the path along which the Earth travels around the Sun. The ecliptic is inclined at an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees to the celestial equator.
The celestial equator is the imaginary line in the heavens that runs around the Earth midway between the celestial poles. It is an extension of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere and divides the sky into northern and southern hemispheres.
The celestial line created by Earth's revolution around the sun is called the ecliptic. This is the apparent path that the sun appears to follow across the sky over the course of a year.
That's the "ecliptic". It's an imaginary circular line in the sky that's inclined 23.5 degrees to the Celestial Equator, and intersects the CE at the equinoxes. The constellations along the line are the constellations of the Zodiac.
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.
If Earth did not rotate, the celestial poles would align with the geographic poles, and the celestial equator would align with Earth's equator. The celestial poles are points in the sky that the Earth's axis points towards, and the celestial equator is an imaginary line in the sky directly above the Earth's equator. Without Earth's rotation, these references would be fixed in the sky.
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.
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.
The equator makes an angle of roughly 23.5 degrees with the ecliptic plane.