Celestial equator
Encyclopedia : C : CE : CEL : Celestial equator
The celestial equator is a great circle on the imaginary celestial sphere, which is actually the plane of the terrestrial equator extended out into the universe (i.e., it could be constructed by extrapolating the Earth's equator until it touches the celestial sphere). The celestial equator is inclined by ~23.5°, with respect to the ecliptic plane; a result of axial tilt. Celestial objects near the celestial equator are visible worldwide, but they culminate the highest in the sky in the tropics.
The celestial equator passes through these constellations:
- Pisces
- Cetus
- Taurus
- Eridanus
- Orion
- Monoceros
- Canis Minor
- Hydra
- Sextans
- Leo
- Virgo
- Serpens
- Ophiuchus
- Aquila
- Aquarius
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.