Question

What were the precession of the equinoxes thought to be a result of?

Answer 1

Equinoxial precession is the result of the precession of the Earth's polar axis, with period 260 centuries, nearly

Explanation:

The poles trace perturbed circles, parallel to the Earth's orbital plane (ecliptic), taking about 260 centuries to complete the circle. Accordingly, the equinox time and location are slightly shifted every year.

The longitudinal increment, for each of the two equinoxial locations on the equator, is nearly `360/26000=0.014^o`/ year.

The time increment ( on Mar 20 and Sep 23, this year) is (24 X 3600)/26000=3.32"/year.

The same increments apply to precession of the Solstices (June 20 and Dec 21 this year), on Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, respectively.