<p>The Zodiac isn't a circle, it's a band centred on the ecliptic. Traditionally, it extends ~8° north and south of the ecliptic. The inclination of the Moon's orbit is ~5.145°, so it's always within the Zodiac band.</p>
<p>From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The orbital paths of the Moon and major planets are within the belt of the zodiac.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here's a <a href="https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/approx_pos.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">table from JPL</a> which lists the inclinations of the planets' orbits (in decimal degrees). See Keplerian Elements and Rates, Table 1.</p>
<div class="s-table-container">
<table class="s-table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: left;">Planet</th>
<th style="text-align: right;">Inclination</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;">Mercury</td>
<td style="text-align: right;">7.00497902</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;">Venus</td>
<td style="text-align: right;">3.39467605</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;">EM Bary</td>
<td style="text-align: right;">-0.00001531</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;">Mars</td>
<td style="text-align: right;">1.84969142</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;">Jupiter</td>
<td style="text-align: right;">1.30439695</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;">Saturn</td>
<td style="text-align: right;">2.48599187</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;">Uranus</td>
<td style="text-align: right;">0.77263783</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;">Neptune</td>
<td style="text-align: right;">1.77004347</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p>Mercury has the largest inclination, ~7°. All the other planets are within a few degrees of the ecliptic.</p>
<p>However, as Mike G mentions, that only tells us the maximum <em>heliocentric</em> deviation of the planets from the ecliptic plane, that is, as seen by a theoretical observer at the centre of the Sun. The maximum deviation observed from Earth is a little different. For example, here's a plot of the ecliptic longitude and latitude of Venus, courtesy of Horizons. The plot uses a 3 day time step. There are 5 steps (so 10 days) between numeric labels. Label #17 is 2023-Aug-16, #18 is 2023-Aug-26.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/bwXBj.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/bwXBj.png" alt="Venus ecliptic lon &amp; lat, 2023" /></a></p>
<p>Here's a plot of the ecliptic latitude of Venus, spanning 8 years, which equals 13 sidereal periods (and hence 5 synodic periods) of Venus. The time step is 10 days.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/usc01.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/usc01.png" alt="Venus lat, 2016-2024" /></a></p>
<p>And here's the Moon's ecliptic latitude for this year, using a 1 day time step.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/sGNGR.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/sGNGR.png" alt="Moon lat, 2023" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-25T08:13:11.047Z
in the table you refer to are arcseconds, not degrees. "Traditionally, it extends ~8° north and south of the ecliptic."I don't know the exact value of the width, but I'm sure it can't be 16°.
Vladimir Orlov
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-25T08:35:29.957Z
@Vladimir No, the inclinations are given in degrees, and the rate of change of the inclination is given in degrees per Julian century.
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-25T12:02:27.507Z
Venus's ecliptic latitude as seen from Earth can approach ±8° when they are on the same side of the Sun.
Mike G
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-25T12:31:31.493Z
@MikeG Good point. I'll update my answer.
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-25T13:03:47.577Z
FWIW, for the last several weeks I've been observing Venus in the late afternoons (I'm in the southern hemisphere), so I have no excuse for not mentioning earlier that it's heading for a latitude minimum.  ;)
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-25T07:27:37.120Z
2023-07-26T06:15:34.743Z
2023-07-26T06:15:34.743Z
PM 2Ring
<p>The moon moves along the zodiac circle along with other planets, this is a known fact. But at the same time, its orbit is inclined to the plane of the ecliptic.
According to the above diagram, the moon can be in the zodiac circle only during the passage of the lunar nodes.
How is this possible?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/3tDy5.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/3tDy5.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-25T13:49:31.967Z
That diagram exaggerates the inclination of the Moon's orbit. The 5° inclination, combined with the Moon's distance make it much less significant than the diagrams shows.
Greg Miller
<the-moon><ecliptic>
Why does the moon move within the zodiacal circle if its orbit is at an angle to the plane of the ecliptic?
Vladimir Orlov
# Why does the moon move within the zodiacal circle if its orbit is at an angle to the plane of the ecliptic?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-07-25)

The moon moves along the zodiac circle along with other planets, this is a known fact. But at the same time, its orbit is inclined to the plane of the ecliptic.
According to the above diagram, the moon can be in the zodiac circle only during the passage of the lunar nodes.
How is this possible?

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/3tDy5.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/3tDy5.jpg)

**Tags:** the-moon, ecliptic

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: That diagram exaggerates the inclination of the Moon's orbit. The 5° inclination, combined with the Moon's distance make it much less significant than the diagrams shows.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-07-25. Score: 7

The Zodiac isn't a circle, it's a band centred on the ecliptic. Traditionally, it extends ~8° north and south of the ecliptic. The inclination of the Moon's orbit is ~5.145°, so it's always within the Zodiac band.

From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac):

> The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The orbital paths of the Moon and major planets are within the belt of the zodiac.

Here's a [table from JPL](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/approx_pos.html) which lists the inclinations of the planets' orbits (in decimal degrees). See Keplerian Elements and Rates, Table 1.

| Planet | Inclination |
| --- | --- |
| Mercury | 7.00497902 |
| Venus | 3.39467605 |
| EM Bary | -0.00001531 |
| Mars | 1.84969142 |
| Jupiter | 1.30439695 |
| Saturn | 2.48599187 |
| Uranus | 0.77263783 |
| Neptune | 1.77004347 |

Mercury has the largest inclination, ~7°. All the other planets are within a few degrees of the ecliptic.

However, as username_3 mentions, that only tells us the maximum *heliocentric* deviation of the planets from the ecliptic plane, that is, as seen by a theoretical observer at the centre of the Sun. The maximum deviation observed from Earth is a little different. For example, here's a plot of the ecliptic longitude and latitude of Venus, courtesy of Horizons. The plot uses a 3 day time step. There are 5 steps (so 10 days) between numeric labels. Label #17 is 2023-Aug-16, #18 is 2023-Aug-26.

[![Venus ecliptic lon & lat, 2023](https://i.sstatic.net/bwXBj.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/bwXBj.png)

Here's a plot of the ecliptic latitude of Venus, spanning 8 years, which equals 13 sidereal periods (and hence 5 synodic periods) of Venus. The time step is 10 days.

[![Venus lat, 2016-2024](https://i.sstatic.net/usc01.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/usc01.png)

And here's the Moon's ecliptic latitude for this year, using a 1 day time step.

[![Moon lat, 2023](https://i.sstatic.net/sGNGR.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/sGNGR.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: in the table you refer to are arcseconds, not degrees. "Traditionally, it extends ~8° north and south of the ecliptic."I don't know the exact value of the width, but I'm sure it can't be 16°.  
> **username_2**: @Vladimir No, the inclinations are given in degrees, and the rate of change of the inclination is given in degrees per Julian century.  
> **username_3**: Venus's ecliptic latitude as seen from Earth can approach ±8° when they are on the same side of the Sun.  
> **username_2**: @MikeG Good point. I'll update my answer.  
> **username_2**: FWIW, for the last several weeks I've been observing Venus in the late afternoons (I'm in the southern hemisphere), so I have no excuse for not mentioning earlier that it's heading for a latitude minimum.  ;)  

---

