descending node

astronomy

Learn about this topic in these articles:

orbital calculations

  • Earth's orbit
    In orbit

    M, the descending node, is where the planet passes from north to south. The sum of the angles subtended at S by the arcs VN and NA is called the longitude of the perihelion. It defines the direction of the major axis in the plane of the…

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solar eclipse

  • total solar eclipse
    In eclipse: Cycles of eclipses

    …south to north, and the descending node is where it crosses from north to south. The nodes move along the ecliptic from east to west as seen from Earth, completing a revolution in 18.6 years. The Moon’s revolution from one node to the same node again (called the draconic month,…

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