: The apparent path of the sun in the sky. More accurately, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the plane of the ecliptic, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun. So named because an eclipse can occur only when the Moon lies on this plane
the apparent path of the sun among the stars during a year Strictly, it is the projection of the plane of the earth's orbit on the celestial sphere It is a great circle inclined 23-1/2 degrees to the celestial equator It cuts the equator at two points, the equinoxes, the points where it is furthest from the equator are the solstices
The plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun Most objects in the solar system are in orbits very close to the ecliptic plane Conversely, the ecliptic is the path of the sun against the sky with respect to the stars
the path along which the sun seems to move (ecliptica linea ). Great circle that is the apparent path of the Sun among the constellations in the course of a year; from another viewpoint, the projection on the celestial sphere of the orbit of Earth around the Sun, which intersects the plane of the celestial equator at the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. The constellations of the zodiac are arranged along the ecliptic
The ecliptic is the path that the Sun appears to take between the stars, as seen from the Earth All the planets and the Moon also stay close to the ecliptic
The imaginary line traced by the Sun in its annual journey through the stars as, viewed from the Earth The plane of the ecliptic is the plane which passes through all the points on this path All the planets and the Moon, since they orbit approximately in the same plane as the Earth, are always found on, or very close to, the ecliptic
The great circle made by the intersection of the plane of the Earth's orbit with the celestial sphere (Less properly, the apparent path of the Sun around the sky during the year )