What is it called when the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator?
The most northerly and southerly points on the Ecliptic are called the Solstices and the places where the Sun crosses the Celestial Equator are called Equinoxes.
What is the relationship between ecliptic and the celestial equator?
The celestial equator is the enlargement of the earth’s equator to the celestial sphere. Therefore, the celestial equator can be represented by a line fixed on the celestial sphere. The ecliptic is a line connecting where the sun is located in the celestial globe for one year.
When the points of ecliptic intersect the celestial equator?
If the equator is projected outward to the celestial sphere, forming the celestial equator, it crosses the ecliptic at two points known as the equinoxes. The Sun, in its apparent motion along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator at these points, one from south to north, the other from north to south.
Why is the ecliptic not lined up with the celestial equator?
If the Earth goes around the Sun, why is the ecliptic not lined up with the celestial equator? Because the Earth is tilted on an axis. Every celestial object appears to go around the Earth once a day.
At what two celestial locations do the celestial equator and the ecliptic coincide?
The ecliptic and celestial equator intersect at two points: the vernal (spring) equinox and autumnal (fall) equinox. The Sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward at the vernal equinox around March 21 and crosses the celestial equator moving southward at the autumnal equinox around September 22.
Does the plane of the ecliptic coincide with the plane of the equator explain?
You will notice that the Ecliptic does NOT coincide with the Celestial Equator; it is inclined to the equator by 23.5 degrees. The Sun is South of the Equator for half the year and North of it for the other half. The axis is tilted 23.5 degrees away from perpendicular.
Does the plane of the ecliptic coincide with the plane of the equator?
Which star is closest to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere?
Fortunately, for those in the northern hemisphere, there is a fairly bright star real close to the North Celestial Pole (Polaris or the North star). Another important reference marker is the celestial equator: an imaginary circle around the sky directly above the Earth’s equator. It is always 90 degrees from the poles.
What is the relationship between the equator and poles of the celestial sphere and equator and poles of the Earth?
The celestial equator is the great circle formed by the intersection of the earth’s equatorial plane with the surface of the celestial sphere. The celestial poles are the points where the extended earth’s axis pierces the celestial sphere.
What is the relationship between the equator and poles of the celestial sphere and equator and poles of the earth?
What is the difference between celestial equator and equator?
The celestial equator is the great circle of the imaginary celestial sphere on the same plane as the equator of Earth. In other words, the celestial equator is an abstract projection of the terrestrial equator into outer space.
Is the celestial equator the same as the equator?
The celestial equator is the great circle of the imaginary celestial sphere on the same plane as the equator of Earth. As the observer moves north (or south), the celestial equator tilts towards the opposite horizon.
Is the ecliptic the same as the celestial equator?
Ecliptic is Earth’s orbital plane, cutting the Earth ‘s surface along a great circle. Celestial equator is the zooming of our equator,in its plane, onto the virtual celestial sphere. It is meaningful to identify the plane of celestial equator as the plane of Earth’s equator.
Is the ecliptic the great circle of the celestial sphere?
Celestial equator is Earth’s equator zoomed, in its plane, as the equator (great circle ) of the celestial sphere. The line of intersection of this plane and ecliptic contains a diameter of Earth…
What happens if there is no sun and no ecliptic?
If there was no Sun, and Earth was just “hanging out” in space, there would be no ecliptic but there would still be a celestial equator. Of course, if our imaginary lonely Earth was not spinning on its axis, then it wouldn’t have its own equator, and therefore there would be no celestial equator either.
Where does the ecliptic and the equator meet?
In the illustration below, note that the Celestial Equator intersects the Ecliptic at two points. These points define a line which precisely pass through 0° Aries and 0° Libra. It is precisely this intersection which defines the Vernal Equinox and the Autumnal Equinox, and the first degree of both Aries and Libra (speaking of the Tropical Zodiac).