an ellipsoid is defined on the basis of the size of an ellipse that is rotated about the polar axis of the Earth. In reality, since the principal axis of inertia of the Earth does not coincide with the rotational axis of the Earth, the polar axis at any particular time is not fixed in position. Rather,
as illustrated in Figure 19.2, it rotates with respect to the inertial system. This motion
is generally divided into two major categories called precession and nutation.
Precession is the greater of the two and is the wander of the polar axis over a long
period of time. The pole makes a complete revolution about once every 26,000
years. Additionally, the pole wanders in much smaller radial arcs that are
superimposed upon precession. These smaller circles are known as a nutation
and are completed about once every 18.6 years. By international convention, the
mean rotational axis of the Earth was defined as the “mean” position of the pole
between the years of 1900.0 and 1905.0.This position is known as the Conventional
Terrestrial Pole (CTP).