Explore the Moon’s 5.145° orbital inclination and where its orbit crosses the ecliptic
The Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5.145° to the ecliptic — the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The two places where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic are called nodes.
These crossings are crucial to eclipses: a new or full Moon must occur close to a node for the Sun, Earth and Moon to line up closely enough for an eclipse.