The Relationship Between the Earth’s Orbit and the Sun’s Equatorial Plane
Question:
I read that the Earth’s orbital plane is inclined roughly 7 degrees above the Sun’s equitorial plane. Since it is inclined in respect to the Sun’s equator… on what date is the Earth above the Sun’s equatorial plane (if you project it out into space) and what date date is the Earth below the Sun’s equatorial plane ?
Do not confuse this with the ecliptic or solstices.
Answer:
The plane that contains the orbit of the Earth (known as the “ecliptic”) is tilted by 7.25 degrees relative to the equatorial plane of the Sun. As calculated in this article, the Earth’s orbit intersects the Sun’s equatorial plane on June 4 and December 6 each year. The Earth’s orbit is below the Sun’s equatorial plane from December 6 to June 4, and above the Sun’s equatorial plane from June 4 to December 6.
