Is the Ecliptic Plane the Same as the Apparent Path of the Sun?

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SUMMARY

The ecliptic plane is defined as the path of the Earth around the Sun, with an inclination (beta) of 0.0000 degrees. The ecliptic is characterized as the apparent path of the Sun over the course of a year. The discussion confirms that both concepts refer to the same motion but are viewed from different reference frames: from the Sun's perspective, the Earth moves, while from the Earth's perspective, the Sun appears to move. Jupiter's inclination of only 0.5 degrees off the ecliptic further emphasizes the flatness of this plane.

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Does beta, the angle to the ecliptic plane, of distant stars change? If it does it is probably very little over a long period of time.
Please correct my statements: By definition, the ecliptic plane is the path of the Earth around our Sun. Beta of Earth is 0.0000.
The ecliptic is very flat since Jupiter is only 0.5 degrees off the ecliptic.
From Wikipedia: " The ecliptic is actually the apparent path of the Sun throughout the course of a year." Is that the same as the ecliptic plane is the path of the Earth around our Sun?
 
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KurtLudwig said:
From Wikipedia: " The ecliptic is actually the apparent path of the Sun throughout the course of a year." Is that the same as the ecliptic plane is the path of the Earth around our Sun?
Yes. It's just a matter of choosing your reference frame - from the Sun it appears that the Earth is moving, from Earth it's the Sun. But it's the same motion, in the same plane.
 

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