celestial equator
1
8.5
- noun
- /səˈlɛstʃəl ɪˈkwɛɪtər/
- Specialized
:
ecuador celeste
- As Earth rotates, the celestial equator appears to rise and set, creating a boundary between the northern and southern skies.
Examples
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Aquila, a prominent constellation, is located along the celestial equator, making it visible from both hemispheres.
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The sun is at its greatest angle below the celestial equator during our northern hemisphere winter.
Academic text (1990) -
Rather, at both the equinoxes, the sun is on the celestial equator.
Academic text (1990) -
This happens because the Milky Way rings the sky at an angle to the celestial equator.
Academic text (1991) -
For a source at the celestial equator, the ellipse degenerates into a straight line.
Academic text (1996) -
These are solar cousins that are more than 35 degrees below the celestial equator, and therefore invisible to the radio telescopes of the U.S. or Puerto Rico.
Academic text (1993) -
During the summer, in the northern hemisphere, the sun is furthest north of the celestial equator, and we receive sunlight directly rather than obliquely; the sun is above the celestial equator.
Academic text (1990) -
When completed, the interferometer will have a compact array of 12 antennas (for imaging extended sources) and a 'Y' of 18 antennas (for observations near the celestial equator).
Academic text (1996) -
The sun is directly on the celestial equator during the equinoxes, dividing day and night equally.
Synonyms
An imaginary circle across the sky midway between the north and south poles
An imaginary line in the sky that matches Earth's equator and divides the sky into north and south
A circle in the sky halfway between the sky's north and south poles
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: a learner who knows 'celestial' (relating to the sky/stars) and 'equator' (an imaginary dividing line) can infer an imaginary dividing circle in the sky. The concept parallels the familiar Earth 'equator' and is cross-linguistically expressed in the same logical way, so its meaning is readily derivable by B1 learners.
Etymology
Celestial equator is the Earth's equator drawn up into the sky: imagine the Earth's middle line copied into an 'imaginary' circle around the stars. That's why the celestial equator divides the sky into north and south halves and helps explain events like the equinox.