Editing Longitude of the ascending node (section)

{{Short description|Defining the orbit of an object in space}}
[[Image:Orbit1.svg|thumb|right|400px|The longitude of the [[ascending node]] (bright green) as a part of a diagram of [[Orbital elements|orbital parameters]].]]

The '''longitude of the ascending node''', also known as the '''right ascension of the ascending node''', is one of the [[orbital elements]] used to specify the [[orbit]] of an object in space. Denoted with the symbol '''Ω''', it is the angle from a specified reference direction, called the ''[[origin of longitude]]'', to the direction of the [[ascending node]] (☊), as measured in a specified [[reference plane]].<ref>[http://www.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/celestia/orbital-parameters.html Parameters Describing Elliptical Orbits], web page, accessed May 17, 2007.</ref> The ascending node is the point where the orbit of the object passes through the plane of reference, as seen in the adjacent image.