The ecliptic, sun and zodiac relationship All of the planets in our solar system orbit the sun more or less in the same plane. Only the 7-degree inclination of Mercury's orbit, and those of the ...

The ecliptic is inclined 23.5° to the celestial equator because this is the amount Earth’s rotation axis is tilted relative to its orbit. The Moon follows generally the same path, but with some ...

We call this plane the ecliptic, which is defined specifically by Earth’s orbit around our star. So, Earth’s orbit is tilted 0° from the ecliptic because it defines the ecliptic.

The ecliptic is also the reason that we on Earth sometimes observe planets appearing to approach closely to each other in the sky "while they careen around the cosmic racetrack," according to NASA.