Attention was concentrated on the horizon and the ecliptic .
关注重点在于地平线和黄道。
The ecliptic plane is defined as the imaginary plane containing the earth 's orbit around the sun .
黄道平面是一个假想的平面,理论上它包含了地球环绕太阳运行的轨道。
Saturn still shines in the night though , farther eastward along the ecliptic plane .
而沿着黄道平面朝更远的东方,土星仍在夜空中闪亮。
Many european scholars have found it almost impossible to believe that a fully equatorial system of astronomy could have grown up without passing through an ecliptic ( zodiacal ) phase , yet that undoubtedly happened .
Four bright celestial beacons and a faint triangle of light follow the plane of the ecliptic as it arcs high through this southern hemisphere night skyscape .