Celestial coordinate system used to describe Solar System objects
Not to be confused with Elliptic coordinate system.
In astronomy, the ecliptic coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system commonly used for representing the apparent positions, orbits, and pole orientations[1] of Solar System objects. Because most planets (except Mercury) and many small Solar System bodies have orbits with only slight inclinations to the ecliptic, using it as the fundamental plane is convenient. The system's origin can be the center of either the Sun or Earth, its primary direction is towards the March equinox, and it has a right-hand convention. It may be implemented in spherical or rectangular coordinates.[2]
Earth-centered ecliptic coordinates as seen from outside the celestial sphere.
Ecliptic longitude; measured along the ecliptic from the March equinox
Ecliptic latitude; measured perpendicular to the ecliptic
Celestial equator
A full globe is shown here, although high-latitude coordinates are seldom seen except for certain comets and asteroids.
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Nautical Almanac Office, U.S. Naval Observatory; H.M. Nautical Almanac Office, Royal Greenwich Observatory (1961). Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Ephemeris and the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. H.M. Stationery Office, London (reprint 1974). pp. 24–27.
and 25 Related for: Ecliptic coordinate system information
along the ecliptic against the background of stars. The ecliptic is an important reference plane and is the basis of the eclipticcoordinatesystem. The ecliptic...
precession, causes a slow, continuous turning of the coordinatesystem westward about the poles of the ecliptic, completing one circuit in about 26,000 years...
Earth's orbit, called the ecliptic plane. There are two principal variants of the eclipticcoordinatesystem: geocentric ecliptic coordinates centered on...
The zodiac form a celestial coordinatesystem, or more specifically an eclipticcoordinatesystem, which takes the ecliptic as the origin of latitude and...
In mathematics, a spherical coordinatesystem is a coordinatesystem for three-dimensional space where the position of a given point in space is specified...
position in the eclipticcoordinatesystem, convert to the equatorial coordinatesystem, and convert to the horizontal coordinatesystem, for the observer's...
The galactic coordinatesystem is a celestial coordinatesystem in spherical coordinates, with the Sun as its center, the primary direction aligned with...
The horizontal coordinatesystem is a celestial coordinatesystem that uses the observer's local horizon as the fundamental plane to define two angles:...
Earth equatorial (HEEQ) system. They are summarized in the following table. Astronomical coordinatesystemEclipticcoordinatesystem Thompson, W. T. (April...
A planetary coordinatesystem (also referred to as planetographic, planetodetic, or planetocentric) is a generalization of the geographic, geodetic, and...
ascension and declination. The eclipticcoordinatesystem specifies positions relative to the ecliptic (Earth's orbit), using ecliptic longitude and latitude...
various galaxies defined in 1976 the equator of the supergalactic coordinatesystem de Vaucouleurs developed. In years thereafter with more observation...
straddle the celestial equator. The Twenty-Eight Mansions form an eclipticcoordinatesystem used for those stars visible (from China) but not during the whole...
celestial coordinatesystems, which are usually rooted to an astronomical epoch since it gradually varies (precesses) over time: in the eclipticcoordinate system...
galactic coordinates of the North ecliptic pole can be calculated as ℓ = 96.38°, b = 29.81° (see celestial coordinatesystem). Celestial pole Polar alignment...
essential dignities of a planet. Triplicity rulerships (using the "Dorothean system") are as follows: * (Ptolemy later modified the rulerships of Water triplicity...
equator because of the axial tilt of the Earth. eclipticcoordinatesystem An astronomical coordinatesystem commonly used to specify the apparent positions...
measuring system used here. For example, "26 Taurus 10" means 26 degrees 10 minutes of the tropical sign Taurus. See eclipticcoordinatesystem for further...
between coordinatesystems on the celestial sphere, such as the transformation from the eclipticcoordinatesystem to the equatorial coordinatesystem. The...
have been used in astronomy: in the eclipticcoordinatesystem as latitude (β) and longitude (λ); in the horizon system as altitude (Alt) and azimuth (Az);...
respectively. Deep space satellites use other Celestial coordinatesystem, like the Eclipticcoordinatesystem. If the goal is to keep the shuttle during its orbits...
regular satellites of other planets in that its orbit is closer to the ecliptic plane instead of its primary's (in this case, Earth's) equatorial plane...
color does not vary significantly across the surface. In the eclipticcoordinatesystem, the pole of rotation is estimated to be oriented to the coordinates...
always been the case. It is significant that Ptolemy chooses the eclipticalcoordinatesystem because of his knowledge of precession, which distinguishes him...
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