The ecliptic is the path the sun seems to follow through our sky. Some stars are grouped near the ecliptic, such as the constellations that make up the zodiac.
Stars that can be seen in all seasons include Polaris (the North Star), Sirius, Vega, and Capella. These stars are visible in the night sky throughout the year due to their proximity to the celestial poles or their location near the ecliptic plane.
Two stars orbiting each other are "binary stars" ...a group of stars near each other, may be formally or informally known as a "cluster".
Groups of stars have different names depending on the size and nature of the group. A "really big bunch" of stars is a galaxy. A cluster of stars within a galaxy that are "sort of near each other" might be called a local group. There are examples where several stars might form what is called a multi-star system where they all rotate about a common "gravimetric center".
All of them because they wander around in the sky and move between different constellatons, while the stars stay 'fixed'. They move in orbits round the Sun and all of them keep within a narrow belt of the sky near a line called the ecliptic that defines the plane of the Earth's orbit.
All the planets move continuously among the fixed stars, so they were called the wandering stars.The planets all move in or near a fixed plane. As they wander they all appear to stay close to the plane of the Earth's orbit, which is the ecliptic.
Yes. Over the course of a couple of months, the entire ecliptic, plus a wide swath north and south of it, is visible in the night sky from any point on earth.
Probably you saw the moon next to a planet, or another bright star. There are some bright stars - like Antares - which are near the Ecliptic.
The Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. The Pleiades are to be found near the plane of the ecliptic and therefore are only seen when Earth is on the same side of the Sun to them. Thus the Matariki can not always be seen in the night sky.
I assume that you meant to ask "How many stars are 1 light year from the earth?"The answer is none.The closest star to us is Alpha Centauri which is 4 light years away.Unless you count our own sun which is 8 light minutes from the earth.If you meant to ask "How many stars are 1 light year from any other stars?"Then the answer is very many.There are many places within our Milky Way galaxy where stars are close together, especially near the center of the galaxy.
You might confuse Antares with Mars, since (a) it is red, (b) it is bright, and (c) it is near the Ecliptic.
Regulus is located in the constellation Leo, which is visible in the northern hemisphere during the spring and summer months. It is positioned near the ecliptic, making it one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Regulus is easily identifiable due to its distinctive blue-white color and its proximity to other bright stars and constellations. It serves as a marker for finding the rest of the Leo constellation.
Orion is an ecliptic constellation, meaning it can be seen from most places on Earth at some point throughout the year as it lies near the celestial equator. It is not circumpolar, as it is not visible all year round and does set below the horizon at certain times.