# Orbital pole

ecliptic polenorth ecliptic poleecliptic north polepolespoles of the eclipticSouth Ecliptic Pole
An orbital pole is either point at the ends of an imaginary line segment that runs through the center of an orbit (of a revolving body like a planet) and is perpendicular to the orbital plane.wikipedia
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### Planet

planetsFormer classification of planetsplanemo
An orbital pole is either point at the ends of an imaginary line segment that runs through the center of an orbit (of a revolving body like a planet) and is perpendicular to the orbital plane.
As observational tools improved, astronomers saw that, like Earth, each of the planets rotated around an axis tilted with respect to its orbital pole, and some shared such features as ice caps and seasons.

### Ecliptic

ecliptical orbitsecliptic planeplane of the ecliptic
The poles of Earth's orbit are referred to as the ecliptic poles.
The orientation of Earth's axis and equator are not fixed in space, but rotate about the poles of the ecliptic with a period of about 26,000 years, a process known as lunisolar precession, as it is due mostly to the gravitational effect of the Moon and Sun on Earth's equatorial bulge.

If the fingers of the right hand are curved along the direction of orbital motion, with the thumb extended and oriented to be parallel to the orbital axis, then the direction the thumb points is defined to be the orbital north.
As of 2012, data is available for less than 200 asteroids and the different methods of determining the orientation of poles often result in large discrepancies.

### Draco (constellation)

DracoDraco constellationDragone
It is located 9.6 arcminutes away from the north ecliptic pole to the west-northwest.

### Celestial sphere

celestialcelestial hemispherehemisphere
Projected onto the celestial sphere, orbital poles are similar in concept to celestial poles, but are based on the body's orbit instead of its equator.

### Celestial pole

North Celestial Polesouth celestial polecelestial north pole
Projected onto the celestial sphere, orbital poles are similar in concept to celestial poles, but are based on the body's orbit instead of its equator.

### Ecliptic coordinate system

ecliptic coordinatesecliptic longitudeecliptic latitude
For the remaining planets, the orbital pole in ecliptic coordinates is given by the longitude of the ascending node and inclination (i): l = ☊ - 90°, b = 90° - i.

The South Ecliptic pole also lies within this constellation.

### Celestial coordinate system

celestial longitudecelestial coordinatesaltitude
= 29.81° (see Celestial coordinate system).

### Right ascension

RAR.A.α
The North Ecliptic Pole in Draco and the South Ecliptic Pole in Dorado are always at right ascension 18 h and 6 h respectively.

### Poles of astronomical bodies

polespin axisspin axes
The direction of the angular momentum vector of that orbit can be defined as an orbital pole.

### Line segment

segmentline segmentssegments
An orbital pole is either point at the ends of an imaginary line segment that runs through the center of an orbit (of a revolving body like a planet) and is perpendicular to the orbital plane.

### Orbit

orbitsorbital motionplanetary motion
An orbital pole is either point at the ends of an imaginary line segment that runs through the center of an orbit (of a revolving body like a planet) and is perpendicular to the orbital plane.

### Perpendicular

perpendicularlyPerpendicularitynormal
An orbital pole is either point at the ends of an imaginary line segment that runs through the center of an orbit (of a revolving body like a planet) and is perpendicular to the orbital plane.

### Orbital plane (astronomy)

orbital planeorbital planesplane of its orbit
An orbital pole is either point at the ends of an imaginary line segment that runs through the center of an orbit (of a revolving body like a planet) and is perpendicular to the orbital plane.

### Celestial equator

equatorialequatorial planeequatorial sky
Projected onto the celestial sphere, orbital poles are similar in concept to celestial poles, but are based on the body's orbit instead of its equator.

### North

NNordNorth Korea
The north orbital pole of a revolving body is defined by the right-hand rule.

### Right-hand rule

right hand ruleright-handedright hand grip rule
The north orbital pole of a revolving body is defined by the right-hand rule.

### Rotation around a fixed axis

axis of rotationaxisaxial
If the fingers of the right hand are curved along the direction of orbital motion, with the thumb extended and oriented to be parallel to the orbital axis, then the direction the thumb points is defined to be the orbital north.

### Earth's orbit

orbitEarth orbitsEarth-Sun distance
The poles of Earth's orbit are referred to as the ecliptic poles.

### Longitude of the ascending node

right ascension of the ascending nodelongitude of ascending nodenode
For the remaining planets, the orbital pole in ecliptic coordinates is given by the longitude of the ascending node and inclination (i): l = ☊ - 90°, b = 90° - i.

### Orbital inclination

inclinationinclinedtilted
For the remaining planets, the orbital pole in ecliptic coordinates is given by the longitude of the ascending node and inclination (i): l = ☊ - 90°, b = 90° - i.

### Mercury (planet)

MercuryMercurioplanet Mercury

### Venus

Morning Starevening starplanet Venus

### Earth

Earth's surfaceterrestrialworld