The ecliptic is the circular path of the sun throughout the course of a year.

Actually, it is Earth that orbits the sun, and the apparent constantly changing position of the sun provides the illusion that the sun completes a circuit in front of the stars.

The planets orbit the sun very nearly in the same plane in which Earth orbits—the ecliptic. Any planet we are looking for will be found on or very close to the ecliptic in the sky.

Interesting facts:

The ecliptic “passes through” twelve zodiac signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

The ecliptic is divided into 12 zodiac signs of 30° longitude, starting by Aries, each of which marks the twelve periods of Earth’s motion around the sun. These are named after the aforementioned constellations.