celestial equator
noun Astronomy, Navigation.
the great circle of the celestial sphere, lying in the same plane as the earth's equator.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- celesta,
- celeste,
- celestial,
- celestial city,
- celestial empire,
- celestial globe,
- celestial guidance,
- celestial hierarchy,
- celestial horizon,
- celestial latitude
Origin of celestial equator
First recorded in 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
celestial equator
noun
the great circle lying on the celestial sphere the plane of which is perpendicular to the line joining the north and south celestial polesAlso called: equinoctial, equinoctial circle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
celestial equator
A great circle separating the northern and southern hemispheres of the celestial sphere and lying in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The celestial equator is a projection of the Earth's equator outward onto the celestial sphere and is used as the reference point in determining a celestial body's declination.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.