The
ecliptic is the apparent path of the
Sun on the
celestial sphere as seen from the
Earth's center, and also the
plane of this path, which is
coplanar with the
orbit of the Earth around the Sun.
The path of the Sun is not normally noticeable from the Earth's surface because the
Earth rotates, carrying the observer through the cycle of
sunrise and
sunset, obscuring the small motion of the Sun against the background stars.