descending node
- noun
- Specialized
:
nodo descendente
- The satellite passed through its descending node at 3:15 AM UTC.
Examples
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Each month, the Moon's descending node moves slowly westward along the ecliptic.
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The descending node is crucial in astronomy.
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The eclipse can only occur when the Sun is close to a descending node of the Moon's orbit.
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Saturn's descending node has been studied extensively.
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Half a year later, Earth is on the other side of its orbit and passes through the stream again, this time at the descending node.
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The good news is that we are still on the inside of Giacobini-Zinner's orbit at the descending node.
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Earth closely follows Giacobini-Zinner to the comet's descending node, where it crosses the orbital plane.
Antonyms
- Specialized
The point where a moon or satellite crosses from south to north across Earth's orbital plane
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'node' denotes the crossing point of an orbit and 'descending' specifies the direction (from higher/north to lower/south), so the full meaning is a straightforward combination of the two constituents. This adjective+noun composition is literal and regular, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer that it refers to the crossing point where the orbit moves north-to-south.
Etymology
Descending node names the point where a moon or satellite crosses the flat path of Earth's orbit as it moves from 'north' to 'south'. The word descending shows it is going down and node means a meeting point, so the phrase means that specific crossing on the orbit.
