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precession of the equinoxes
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noun
the earlier occurrence of the equinoxes in each successive sidereal year because of the slow retrograde motion of the equinoctial points along the ecliptic, caused by the precession of the earth's axis of rotation; a complete precession of the equinoxes requires about 25,800 years.
the resulting drift of celestial coordinates with respect to the positions of celestial objects.
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Origin of precession of the equinoxes
First recorded in 1615–25
Words nearby precession of the equinoxes
preceptory, preceptress, preceramic, precess, precession, precession of the equinoxes, pre-Christian, pre-Christmas, précieuse, précieux, precinct
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use precession of the equinoxes in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for precession of the equinoxes
precession of the equinoxes
noun
the slightly earlier occurrence of the equinoxes each year due to the slow continuous westward shift of the equinoctial points along the ecliptic by 50 seconds of arc per year. It is caused by the precession of the earth's axis around the ecliptic pole, with a period of 25Â 800 years
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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