| ecliptic coordinates |
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A celestial coordinate system, based on the plane of the ecliptic. This system has applications in the study of planetary and solar system dynamics. In the ecliptic system, the position of an object in the sky is defined by the coordinates ecliptic latitude (b, beta) and ecliptic longitude (l, lambda). Latitude is measured in degrees north and south of the ecliptic; northerly latitudes are positive and southerly ones negative. Longitude is measured in degrees along the ecliptic. The zero point is the northern vernal equinox, the point at which the ecliptic and the celestial equator intersect. Precession is making this zero point change slowly with time. See also: obliquity of the ecliptic. |