In astronomy, an analemma (
/ˌænəˈlɛmə/; from Greek ἀνάλημμα “pedestal of a sundial”) is a curve representing the changing angular offset of a celestial body (usually the Sun) from its mean position on the celestial sphere as viewed from another celestial body (usually the Earth).
Because of the Earth’s annual revolution around the Sun in an orbit that is elliptical and tilted relative to the plane of the equator, an observer at a fixed point on the Earth sees the Sun appear to move in an analemma around a mean position, taking a year to do so.