Image source [1]: Inclination of the Earth.
Orbital inclination measures the tilt of an object's orbit around a celestial body. It is expressed as the angle between a reference plane and the orbital plane or axis of direction of the orbiting object.
Image source [2]: Fig. 1: One view of inclination i (green) and other orbital parameters.
The inclination is one of the six orbital elements describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit. It is the angle between the orbital plane and the plane of reference, normally stated in degrees. For a satellite orbiting a planet, the plane of reference is usually the plane containing the planet's equator.
The ecliptic is the circular path on the celestial sphere that the Sun appears to follow over the course of a year; it is the basis of the ecliptic coordinate system.
Image source [3]: The Sun appears to move with respect to the fixed stars, as seen from the orbiting Earth. The ecliptic is the yearly path the Sun appears to follow on the celestial sphere. This process repeats itself in a cycle lasting a little over 365 days.
north pole of the celestial sphere
Image source [4]: The plane of Earth's orbit projected in all directions forms the reference plane known as the ecliptic. Here, it is shown projected outward (gray) to the celestial sphere, along with Earth's equator and polar axis (green). The plane of the ecliptic intersects the celestial sphere along a great circle (black), the same circle on which the Sun seems to move as Earth orbits it. The intersections of the ecliptic and the equator on the celestial sphere are the vernal and autumnal equinoxes (red), where the Sun seems to cross the celestial equator.
A season is a division of the year [1] marked by changes in weather, ecology, and amount of daylight. Seasons result from Earth's orbit around the Sun and Earth's axial tilt relative to the ecliptic plane.
Image source [5]: Illumination of Earth at each change of astronomical season.
Peter Jensen