The night sky is still modeled using an ancient sphere design called the celestial sphere. It shows the positions of the stars in the night sky from month to month. It allows people on Earth to view how the Sun travels across the sky on an imaginary path called the ecliptic.

Using this model, astronomers can understand how the sky looks on any given day from any location on the Earth. Although the model is not completely accurate, it serves its purpose as scientific model in allowing astronomers to determine the positioning of the stars and the paths they seem to take in their rising and setting each day.