ecliptic
oxford
views updated May 23 2018e·clip·tic / iˈkliptik/ •
n. Astron. a great circle on the celestial sphere representing the sun's apparent path during the year, so called because lunar and solar eclipses can occur only when the moon crosses it.•
adj. of an eclipse or the ecliptic.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
ecliptic
oxford
views updated May 08 2018ecliptic The plane of the orbit of the
Earth around the
Sun. It forms an angle of 23°27′ with the
Earth's equator. The orbits of the planets all lie within 3.4° of this plane, except for those of
Pluto (17.2°) and
Mercury (7°).
A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY
ecliptic
oxford
views updated May 23 2018ecliptic pert. to an eclipse XIV; sb.
great circle of the
celestial sphere, the apparent orbit of the sun, so called because eclipses happen only when the moon is on or very near this line XIV. — L.
eclīpticus — Gr.
ekleiptikós (also sb.), f.
ekleípein; see prec. and
-IC.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
ecliptic
oxford
views updated Jun 11 2018ecliptic The plane of the orbit of the
Earth around the
Sun. It forms an angle of 23°27′ with the Earth's equator. The orbits of the planets all lie within 3.4° of this plane, except for those of Pluto (17.2°) and Mercury (7°).
A Dictionary of Ecology MICHAEL ALLABY
