ecliptic

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the great circle representing the apparent annual path of the sun; the plane of the Earth's orbit around the sun; makes an angle of about 23 degrees with the equator

Borrowed from Latin eclīptica. So named because an eclipse can occur only when the Moon lies on this plane.

Aq. dis. ter in die. CHRIS CALLINAN: What is the parallax of the subsolar ecliptic of Aldebaran? — Ulysses, James Joyce
WHAT THE ARCTIC CIRCLE IS.--DESCRIPTION OF THE PHENOMENON OF THE LONG NIGHT.--REASONS FOR ITS EXISTENCE.--THE ECLIPTIC AND THE EQUINOXES.--LENGTH OF THE LONG NIGHT AT DIFFERENT PLACES. — The Land of the Long Night, Paul B. (Paul Belloni) Du Chaillu
The other fact is to the Sun starting coincident with one of the Moon's Nodes, returns on the Ecliptic to the same Node in 346.6 days. — The Story of Eclipses, George F. (George Frederick) Chambers

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