Ecliptic projection

The ecliptic projection is a way of representing the Earth's position relative to the Sun and planets as seen from a perspective aligned with Earth's orbital plane—the path the Earth follows around the Sun. Imagine projecting the Sun and planets onto a flat surface that is tangent to Earth's orbit; this map-like view helps astronomers understand the planets’ positions and movements along the ecliptic, which is the apparent path the Sun traces in the sky over the year. This projection simplifies the complex 3D motions into a 2D diagram for easier analysis of planetary alignments and orbital relationships.