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celestial equator

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noun Astronomy, Navigation.
  1. the great circle of the celestial sphere, lying in the same plane as the earth's equator.
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Origin of celestial equator

First recorded in 1870–75
Also called equator, equinoctial, equinoctial circle, equinoctial line.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for celestial equator

celestial equator

noun
  1. 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
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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 in Science

celestial equator

  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.