Where would the ecliptic be in the northern hemisphere?

Answer 1

This is difficult to describe in text, without sketches, but I'll try:

-- First, the 'equator' of the sky: That's a line all around the sky that's exactly

over the Earth's equator. In your sky, wherever you are, this 'celestial' equator

is a semi-circle from the exactly-east point on your horizon to the exactly-west

point. Its highest point is due south of you, and at that point, its height above

your southern horizon is (90 degrees minus your latitude). If you're on the equator,

then the celestial equator passes right over your head. If you're at the north pole,

then the celestial equator coincides with your horizon. If you're in Minneapolis,

Salem OR, Bangor, Grenoble, Torino, or Belgrade, at 45° north latitude, then it

passes 45° above your south horizon.

-- The highest of the 3 stars in Orion's belt is on the celestial equator.

-- The ecliptic is another line all the way around the sky. It crosses the celestial

equator at two places, and it's tilted 231/2 degrees to the equator. So half of the

ecliptic is above (north) of the equator, and the other half of it is below the sky's

equator.

-- Through the day, as the Earth turns, one of the two points where the ecliptic

crosses the equator will be in your sky at any one time. The ecliptic will appear

high in your sky for half of the day, and low in the sky for the other half. The

point where it crosses directly south of you will wiggle up and down through a

total of 47 degrees in 24 hours.

-- The left pincher of Scorpius and the heart of Leo (Regulus) are on the ecliptic.

The eye of Taurus (Aldeberan) is not too far off of it.

The ecliptic is actually the line where the plane of Earth's orbit cuts through the

'bowl' of the sky. Some of the results are:

-- The sun is always on the ecliptic.

-- The planets are always close to the ecliptic. Now, in mid-2013, Jupiter is smack on it.

-- The moon is always within about 51/2 degrees of the ecliptic.

-- In Summer, the sun is high, so the ecliptic ... with the moon and planets ... is

low during the night.

-- In Winter, the sun is low, so the ecliptic ... with the moon and planets ... is

high during the night.

Remember those two points where the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator ?

Those points in the sky are the 'equinoxes'. Those points are where the sun is

on March 21 and September 21.