equinoctial point

American  

noun

1. either of the two points at which the celestial equator and the ecliptic intersect each other; the position of the sun's center at the equinoxes.

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equinoctial point British  

noun

1. either of the two points at which the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic

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Etymology

Origin of equinoctial point

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

Owing to the precession of the equinoxes, however, the vernal equinoctial point, which was formerly in this constellation, has now advanced into the constellation Pisces, as we saw above.

From Astronomy with an Opera-glass A Popular Introduction to the Study of the Starry Heavens with the Simplest of Optical Instruments by Serviss, Garrett Putman

The Sun does not arrive at the same moment in each year at the equinoctial point on the equator.

From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Pike, Albert

As the sun, arriving at the equinoctial point of Spring, drawing nearer to us, increases the length of the days, that period seems most appropriate for those ceremonies.

From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Pike, Albert

You can trace out this great circle, from which astronomical longitudes are reckoned, by drawing an imaginary line from the equinoctial point just indicated through α in Andromeda and β in Cassiopeia to the pole-star.

From Astronomy with an Opera-glass A Popular Introduction to the Study of the Starry Heavens with the Simplest of Optical Instruments by Serviss, Garrett Putman

But this was not so in Virgil’s time, when—on account of the precession of the equinoxes—the equinoctial point had already entered Pisces, in which constellation it still remains.

From Astronomical Curiosities Facts and Fallacies by Gore, J. Ellard