These are imaginary locations in the sky. The "celestial sphere" is a blanket term for everything beyond the Earth. The celestial equator is the plane of the Earth's equator extended out into space. The "celestial poles" are extensions of the north pole and south pole into space. It's sometimes convenient to describe objects out in space with reference to terrestrial coordinates.
The celestial equator is the imaginary line in the heavens that runs around the Earth midway between the celestial poles. It is an extension of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere and divides the sky into northern and southern hemispheres.
The components of the celestial sphere include the celestial equator (dividing the sky into northern and southern hemispheres), the north and south celestial poles (points around which the sky appears to rotate), and celestial coordinates (such as right ascension and declination) used to locate objects in the sky. Additionally, the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun) intersects the celestial equator at two points known as the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.
A star at the celestial equator will move 15 degrees in altitude per hour, and 15 arcseconds in 1 second of time. This is because the celestial equator intersects the celestial sphere at 90 degrees from the north and south celestial poles, so the stars appear to move in circles around the celestial poles.
That is also called the axis; the "end-points" of this axis are called the celestial poles.
The Earth orbits on its axis. It isn't a physical axis; there is no metal rod through the Earth, but we can calculate it pretty well. If you were to extend that imaginary axis straight out from the physical poles, this would point to the "celestial poles". Early astronomers thought of the sky as a solid crystal sphere, and all the stars were at the same very great distance away. We know now that isn't true; all the stars are at their own distances, all different. But we still sometimes speak of the "celestial sphere", and the celestial poles, and the celestial equator. This helps us to visualize where we are in the galaxy, and where all the stars are in relationship to each other.
The celestial equator is the imaginary line in the heavens that runs around the Earth midway between the celestial poles. It is an extension of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere and divides the sky into northern and southern hemispheres.
celestial equator
If Earth did not rotate, the celestial poles would align with the geographic poles, and the celestial equator would align with Earth's equator. The celestial poles are points in the sky that the Earth's axis points towards, and the celestial equator is an imaginary line in the sky directly above the Earth's equator. Without Earth's rotation, these references would be fixed in the sky.
The components of the celestial sphere include the celestial equator (dividing the sky into northern and southern hemispheres), the north and south celestial poles (points around which the sky appears to rotate), and celestial coordinates (such as right ascension and declination) used to locate objects in the sky. Additionally, the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun) intersects the celestial equator at two points known as the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.
A star at the celestial equator will move 15 degrees in altitude per hour, and 15 arcseconds in 1 second of time. This is because the celestial equator intersects the celestial sphere at 90 degrees from the north and south celestial poles, so the stars appear to move in circles around the celestial poles.
That is also called the axis; the "end-points" of this axis are called the celestial poles.
An equinoctial is the great circle between the celestial poles, also known as the celestial equator.
Half. The other half is south of the celestial equator.It depends on the where you're looking from (at the equator it is half and half). If you are at latitude 30 degrees north, then about 2/3 of "your" sky is north of the celestial equator (30 degrees north means that you are one-third of the way north from the equator to the North Pole.)
it is a mushed 3d sphere
It's the celestial equator.
The Earth orbits on its axis. It isn't a physical axis; there is no metal rod through the Earth, but we can calculate it pretty well. If you were to extend that imaginary axis straight out from the physical poles, this would point to the "celestial poles". Early astronomers thought of the sky as a solid crystal sphere, and all the stars were at the same very great distance away. We know now that isn't true; all the stars are at their own distances, all different. But we still sometimes speak of the "celestial sphere", and the celestial poles, and the celestial equator. This helps us to visualize where we are in the galaxy, and where all the stars are in relationship to each other.
The north and south celestial poles are the two imaginary points in the sky where the Earth's axis of rotation, indefinitely extended, intersects the imaginary rotating sphere of stars called the celestial sphere. The north and south celestial poles appear permanently directly overhead to an observer at the Earth's North pole and South pole respectively. As the Earth spins on its axis, the two celestial poles remain fixed in the sky, and all other points appear to rotate around them, completing one circuit per day.