What is the ecliptic in relation to Earth’s orbit around the Sun?

An imaginary projection representing the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun

The ecliptic is fundamentally an abstract concept, not a concrete structure in space. It is defined as the imaginary great circle traced across the celestial sphere that mirrors the plane in which the Earth revolves around the Sun. As the Earth completes its annual journey around our star, the Sun's apparent track across the background stars precisely follows this great circle. This path is crucial because the constellations that appear to lie along this track are those whose official boundaries physically intersect this orbital plane, dictating the seasonal progression of the Sun's perceived location relative to fixed stars.