PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES • FREE-TRANSLATOR.COM • Definition of Precession of the equinoxes

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Precession of the equinoxes

noun

A slow westward shift of the equinoxes along the plane of the ecliptic caused by precession of the Earth's axis of rotation.

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Etymology of 'Precession of the equinoxes'

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"Precession of the equinoxes" Quotes from Famous Books

... of his coming, the Egyptian astronomer priests, perched on the hill-tops near their temples, were wont to scan the eastern horizon with reference to some star which had been observed to precede the solar luminary. Of course the precession of the equinoxes, due to that axial wobble in which our clumsy earth indulges, would change the apparent position of the fixed stars in reference to the sun, so that the same star could not do service as heliacal messenger indefinitely; but, on the other hand, these changes are so slow that observations by many ...

— A History of Science, Volume 1(of 5) • Henry Smith Williams

Words linked to "Precession of the equinoxes" : natural action, action, activity, natural process