PlanetStar Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Longitude of vernal equinox (abbrev. LOVE, symbol: γ) of the celestial object, such as a planet, is the celestial longitude where vernal equinox crosses. Earth is used as the reference point as the longitude of vernal equinox is 0°, on the First Point of Aries. An example of a celestial object carrying non-zero longitude of vernal equinox is Mars, which is 208° east of the First Point of Aries.

Like axial tilt, LOVE is not constant over thousands of years. Changes of γ is called precession and the time it takes to rotate 360° is called Great Year or Platonic Year. For Earth, this period is approximately 25,780 years.

Advertisement