Here's why:
* The Ecliptic is the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun.
* The Moon orbits the Earth, and the planets orbit the Sun, all roughly in the same plane. This means they appear to move through a relatively narrow band of sky, which we call the ecliptic.
* The Sun also appears to move along the ecliptic throughout the year, because of Earth's orbit.
Therefore, when you look for the moon and planets, you'll usually find them near the ecliptic. However, it's important to remember that their exact positions change over time due to their orbital motions.
