What fundamental physical reality defines the plane of the ecliptic?
Answer
The precise, physical plane upon which the Earth orbits the Sun.
The ecliptic is fundamentally defined as the geometric plane containing Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This physical path dictates its projection onto the celestial sphere.
Related Questions
What fundamental physical reality defines the plane of the ecliptic?Approximately how much does the Sun appear to move eastward along the ecliptic each day?What term describes the intersection points where the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator?What is the current approximate measurement of the obliquity of the ecliptic?What process explains why the orbital planes of most major planets lie close to the ecliptic plane?What are the crossing points called where the Moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic plane?Why is the ecliptic often preferred over the celestial equator for precise celestial mapping over short timescales?What system of coordinates is based directly on the ecliptic plane?What is the Zodiac band defined as in relation to the ecliptic?How does the appearance of the ecliptic path near the horizon in autumn compare to spring equinox evenings?What distinguishes the ecliptic plane from the Galactic Plane?