Sun's Location on the Ecliptic

THE SUN'S LOCATION ON THE ECLIPTIC THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Portions of Sky Map Courtesy: Fourmilab Switzerland

Scroll this sky map—oriented so that the Ecliptic (red line)
is horizontal in this view—to reveal the Sun's location in the background of stars throughout the year. As you can see in the Sun's Apparent Motion, from our vantage on Earth our parent star appears to move "eastward" about one degree per day through the zodiac, whose constellations' north and south limits are highlighted here in green. Of course, this motion of the Sun is only "apparent" motion. It is actually the result of Earth's yearly orbital journey around the Sun.

Remember that east is to the left in the view above. This is because you are looking up, not down. Also, to follow the Sun's eastward motion through the background stars, the months of the year appear to run "backward" at the bottom of the sky maps.

Clearly the Sun arrives at specific points in the sky at specific times of year. However, these times do not repeat exactly on our annual calendars, instead varying by a day
or so for three main reasons. First, and most significant, Earth's orbital period is very close to 365¼ days. So the same fractional day that is responsible for "leap years" causes our caledars to be slightly "out of phase" with the heavens. Second, Earth's orbital precession very "very" slowly alters the Ecliptic's orientation in relation to the Celestial Equator. Third, perturbations by other celestial bodies can very slightly alter Earth's motion around the Sun. Even so, within a day or so, the above sky map gives
a very good indication of where the Sun appears on the

Ecliptic all year. You can find the Sun's precise current po- sition in the Zodiac on our Location in the Constellations page.

Beginning the year in the constellation Sagittarius, the Sun then appears to arrive at the Vernal (March) Equinox () generally on March 20. This is the point from which we measure its progress against the background stars. Usually on June 20 or 21, having moved 1/4 of the way (90°) around sky, the Sun arrives at the Summer (June) Solstice. Proceeding onward, it has circled half (180°) of the sky when it arrives at the Autumnal (September) Equinox, typically on September 22 or 23. Back in Sagittarius in December, the Sun has appeared to travel 3/4 of the way (270°) around the heavens when it arrives at the Winter (December) Solstice, generally on December 21 or 22, before continuing its unending trek into a new year.

As you'll see, in a year's time the center of the Sun actually moves through 13 constellations! In late November it enters often-overlooked Ophiuchus, at times called the Forgotten Constellation. Also, while the Sun moves through Pisces in March, its edge "grazes" the constellation Cetus, though for less than a day. Note that star sizes in the sky map are ex- aggerated, with the Sun shown at twice its diameter relative to the overall sizes of the background constellations. Hover near the Sun to reveal its true relative apparent size. In addition, widening this window will also widen the sky map, allowing you to see more of the constellations at one time.

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