What do we call the line that the sun traces across the celestial sphere quizlet?

What do we call the line that the sun traces across the celestial sphere quizlet?

What do we call the line that the Sun traces across the celestial sphere? The ecliptic.

What is the celestial line?

The point directly overhead the observer is called the zenith, and the line on the celestial sphere joining the observer’s zenith with the north and south celestial poles is the celestial meridian.

What is the Sun’s apparent path around the celestial sphere?

ecliptic, in astronomy, the 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. The constellations of the zodiac are arranged along the ecliptic.

What is the term for the point on the celestial sphere that is directly overhead for an observer?

zenith, point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer on the Earth. The point 180° opposite the zenith, directly underfoot, is the nadir. Astronomical zenith is defined by gravity; i.e., by sighting up a plumb line.

What is the north celestial sphere?

The northern celestial hemisphere, also called the Northern Sky, is the northern half of the celestial sphere; that is, it lies north of the celestial equator. This arbitrary sphere appears to rotate westward around a polar axis due to Earth’s rotation.

What is the sun’s path across the sky called?

The ecliptic
Bottom Line: The ecliptic is the path the sun takes across our sky. It’s the Earth-sun plane. And, more or less, it’s the plane of the orbits of the major planets and their moons, and some asteroids, our solar system. Stargazing tip: Learn the whereabouts of the ecliptic in your sky.

Where is the sun on the ecliptic?

The path that the Sun follows round the celestial sphere is known as the ecliptic. The Sun always lies in the plane of the Earth’s orbit, and so the intersection of this plane with the celestial sphere defines the ecliptic. The Earth’s spin axis is inclined with respect to its orbit.

What is the celestial sphere What are the celestial equator and the ecliptic?

The Celestial Equator is the intersection of the Earth’s equatorial plane with the celestial sphere, and it is a great circle on the celestial sphere. The ecliptic is the intersection of the plane of the ecliptic with the celestial sphere, and it is a great circle on the celestial sphere.

When does the sun cross the celestial equator?

Ecliptic: Apparent annual path of the Sun in the celestial sphere The Sun crosses the celestial equator on March 21 (Spring equinox) and on September 21 (Fall equinox) The Sun reaches a declination of +23.5 degrees on June 21 (Summer solstice) The Sun reaches a declination of – 23.5 degrees on December 21 (Winter solstice)

How does the ecliptic trace the path of the Sun?

As Earth orbits the sun, the sun appears to drift across the background stars. The ecliptic marks out the path of this motion on the sky.

Where does the celestial sphere appear in the sky?

On the surface of the Earth, one feels as though one is standing on a giant, flat plane stretching away toward the horizon in all directions, with half of the sky (and the celestial sphere) appearing above the horizon and half hidden below.

How is the path of the sun similar to that of the planets?

The path of the Sun across the celestial sphere is very close to that of the planets and the moon. After clocks became available, it was a relatively straightforward job for astronomers to relate the path of the Sun in the daytime to the one of stars at night, and to draw it on their star charts.