equinoctial line
- noun
- /ˌɛkwɪˈnɒkʃəl laɪn/
- Specialized
:
línea ecuatorial
- The equinoctial line divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Examples
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Turns out, the archaeological site of Mount Catequilla is precisely located at 0 0 00 on the equinoctial line.
Blog text (11) -
Many cultures celebrate the equinoctial line as a time of equal day and night.
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As the sun rises and sets on the equinoctial line, the length of day remains constant.
Synonyms
1
8.5
An imaginary circle around the sky above Earth's equator
An imaginary circle across the sky midway between the north and south poles
A circle in the sky halfway between the sky's north and south poles
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'equinoctial' ('relating to the equinoxes') combined with 'line' clearly signals a line associated with the equinoxes, so the basic compositional relation is predictable from the parts. However, the full technical meaning (an imaginary great circle corresponding to the celestial equator) requires specific astronomical knowledge beyond knowing the constituent words, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The equinoctial line gets its name from the parts equi- and -noctial, which mean 'equal' and 'night', because it marks the sun's place at the times when day and night are the same. So the name points to an imaginary line that divides the sky into northern and southern halves.