Celestial Equator | Astronomy - Britannica

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You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security. Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos celestial equator References Images & Videos Celestial coordinates seen by an observer in mid-northern latitudes. His celestial meridian is a great circle passing through his zenith and the poles. His astronomical horizon meets the celestial sphere at infinity. Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn Earth's celestial sphere: Stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies Contents celestial equator astronomy Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question

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definition

  • Equator In Equator

    celestial equator is the great circle in which the plane of the terrestrial Equator intersects the celestial sphere; it consequently is equidistant from the celestial poles. When the Sun lies in its plane, day and night are everywhere of equal length, a twice-per-year occurrence (about…

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  • Star trails over banksia trees, in Gippsland, Vic., Austl. The south celestial pole, located in the constellation Octans, is at the centre of the trails. In astronomical map: The celestial sphere

    …the two poles is the celestial equator; this great circle is the projection into space of Earth’s Equator.

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position on celestial sphere

  • Earth's celestial sphere: Stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies In celestial sphere

    …extended to infinity, marks the celestial equator. See also hour circle; ecliptic; zenith.

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precession of the equinoxes

  • precession of the equinoxes In precession of the equinoxes

    …great circle, is called the celestial equator. The celestial equator intersects another useful great circle, the ecliptic. As Earth orbits the Sun, the constantly changing direction from which the Sun is viewed causes it to trace out the ecliptic. The celestial equator is inclined at a 23.43° angle to the…

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use in equatorial mounting

  • Keck Observatory In telescope: Light gathering and resolution

    …north or south from the celestial equator. The declination axis makes it possible for the telescope to be pointed at various declination angles as the instrument is rotated about the polar axis with respect to right ascension. Right ascension is measured along the celestial equator from the vernal equinox (i.e.,…

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