Ecliptic

From Slackerpedia Galactica

The ecliptic as seen from the Clementine spacecraft when it was orbiting the Moon. The objects are the planets Saturn, Mars and Mercury. The Sun is behind the Moon, which is lit on the right side by Earthshine (NASA)

The ecliptic is the plane of the solar system, as seen from Earth. As a result, it is the path the Sun, Moon and planets follow as they move across the sky. The constellations along the ecliptic are known as the Zodiak (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces).

Looking for the ecliptic is a good way to get familiar with the night sky and to identify the planets. When outside, look in the general direction in which the Sun set that evening and trace a line from it to the Moon (if present) and then to the general direction in which the Sun rose in the morning. That is, more or less, the ecliptic. If you see a few very bright stars along that line it is likely they are planets (especially if they don't twinkle as much as the other stars in the sky).