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Ecliptic coordinates are convenient for specifying positions of Solar System objects, as most of the planets' orbits have small inclinations to the ecliptic, and therefore always appear relatively close to it on the sky. Because Earth's orbit, and hence the ecliptic, moves very little, it is a relatively fixed reference with respect to the stars.
Because it is a right-handed system, ecliptic longitude is measured positive eastwards in the fundamental plane (the ecliptic) from 0° to 360°. Because of axial precession , the ecliptic longitude of most "fixed stars" (referred to the equinox of date) increases by about 50.3 arcseconds per year, or 83.8 arcminutes per century, the speed of ...
The equatorial describes the sky as seen from the Solar System, and modern star maps almost exclusively use equatorial coordinates. The equatorial system is the normal coordinate system for most professional and many amateur astronomers having an equatorial mount that follows the movement of the sky during the night.
The ecliptic coordinate system specifies positions relative to the ecliptic (Earth's orbit), using ecliptic longitude and latitude. Besides the equatorial and ecliptic systems, some other celestial coordinate systems, like the galactic coordinate system , are more appropriate for particular purposes.
Stargazers will be treated to a rare treat this month when six planets will "align" in the night sky for an eye-catching planet parade.. Planets always appear along a line known as the ecliptic ...
Star position is the apparent angular position of any given star in the sky, which seems fixed onto an arbitrary sphere centered on Earth. The location is defined by a pair of angular coordinates relative to the celestial equator: right ascension (α) and declination (δ). This pair based the equatorial coordinate system.
The Right ascension of the star is about 18 h. 18 h means it is a March early-hours star and in blue sky in the morning. If 12 h RA, the star would be a March all-night star as opposite the March equinox. If 6 h RA the star would be a March late-hours star, at its high (meridian) at dusk.
An asteroid in our solar system will temporarily block the light of Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, Monday evening and early Tuesday morning.