ascending node
McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Dictionary:
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ascending node
(ə′send·iŋ ¦nōd)
(astronomy) Also known as northbound node. The point at which a planet, planetoid, or comet crosses to the north side of the ecliptic. The point at which a satellite crosses to the north side of the equatorial plane of its primary.
Wiley Book of Astronomy:
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ascending node
The point in an orbit where a body traveling from south to north crosses a reference plane, such as the plane of the ecliptic (in the case of a solar system object) or the celestial equator. The opposite point in the orbit, where the body moves from north to south across the reference plane, is the descending node. The longitude of the ascending node is an orbital element.
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McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Dictionary
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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