Pretsessi

Pretsessi is a term that originates from the Estonian language, meaning "precession." It refers to the gradual shift in the orientation of an object's rotational axis, caused by the gravitational influence of another body. This phenomenon is most commonly observed in astronomy, where it describes the slow, top-like motion of a spinning body, such as a planet or a star, around its axis of rotation.

In the context of Earth, precession is the slow, conical motion of the Earth's rotational axis, completing one full cycle approximately every 26,000 years. This motion is primarily caused by the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun on the Earth's equatorial bulge. Precession is responsible for the gradual shift in the positions of the stars and the celestial poles over time, as well as the changing orientation of the Earth's axis relative to the fixed stars.

Precession is also observed in other celestial bodies, such as planets and binary star systems. In these cases, the precession is caused by the gravitational interactions between the bodies involved. The study of precession is important in astronomy and astrophysics, as it provides valuable insights into the dynamics of celestial bodies and the forces that govern their motion.