Longitude of the ascending node Longitude of the ascending node The longitude of the ascending node (☊ or Ω) is one of the orbital elements used to specify the orbit of an object in space. It is the angle from a reference direction, called the "origin of longitude", to the direction of the ascending node, measured in a reference plane. The ascending node is the point where the orbit of the object passes through the plane of reference, as seen in the adjacent image. Commonly used reference planes and origins of longitude include: In the case of a binary star known only from visual observations,
Cylindrical equal-area projection many named specializations such as Gall–Peters or Gall orthographic, Behrmann, and Lambert cylindrical equal-area). This divides north-south distances by a factor equal to the secant of the latitude, preserving area but heavily distorting shapes. Any particular cylindrical equal-area map has a pair of identical latitudes of opposite sign (or else the equator) at which the east–west scale matches the north–south scale. All cylindrical equal-area projections use the formula: where "λ" is the longitude, "λ" is the central meridian, "φ" is the latitude, and "φ" is the standard latitude, all expressed in radians. Some cartographers prefer to work in degrees, rather