Editing Orbital node (section)

== Symbols and nomenclature ==
{{wiktionary|anabibazon}}{{wiktionary|catabibazon}}
The symbol of the ascending node is [[Image:Ascending node (bold).svg|16px]] ([[Unicode]]: U+260A, ☊), and the symbol of the descending node is [[Image:Descending node (bold).svg|16px]] ([[Unicode]]: U+260B, ☋).

In medieval and early modern times, the ascending and descending nodes of the Moon in the ecliptic plane were called the "dragon's head" ({{langx|la|caput draconis}}, {{langx|ar|[[Gochihr (Zoroastrianism)|رأس الجوزهر]]}}) and "dragon's tail" ({{langx|la|cauda draconis}}), respectively.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1005726 | jstor=1005726 | title=A Survey of Islamic Astronomical Tables | last1=Kennedy | first1=E. S. | journal=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society | date=1956 | volume=46 | issue=2 | pages=123–177 | doi=10.2307/1005726 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{rp|p.141;}}<ref>[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01 Cyclopædia, or, An universal dictionary of arts and sciences] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202061430/http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/HistSciTech.Cyclopaedia01 |date=2008-12-02 }}, Ephraim Chambers, London: Printed for J. and J. Knapton [and 18 others], 1728, vol. 1.</ref>{{rp|p.245}} These terms originally referred to the times when the [[Moon]] crossed the apparent path of the sun in the sky (as in a [[solar eclipse]]). Also, corruptions of the Arabic term such as ''ganzaar'', ''genzahar'', ''geuzaar'' and ''zeuzahar'' were used in the medieval West to denote either of the nodes.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/230070 | jstor=230070 | title=Planetary Latitudes, the Theorica Gerardi, and Regiomontanus | last1=Kren | first1=Claudia | journal=Isis | date=1977 | volume=68 | issue=2 | pages=194–205 | doi=10.1086/351767 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{rp|pp.196&ndash;197;}}<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/229000 | jstor=229000 | title=Prophatius Judaeus and the Medieval Astronomical Tables | last1=Harper | first1=Richard I. | journal=Isis | date=1971 | volume=62 | issue=1 | pages=61–68 | doi=10.1086/350708 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{rp|p.65;}}<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2935702 | jstor=2935702 | title=Lexicographical Gleanings from the Philobiblon of Richard de Bury | last1=West | first1=Andrew F. | journal=Transactions of the American Philological Association | date=1891 | volume=22 | pages=93–104 | doi=10.2307/2935702 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{rp|pp.95&ndash;96}}

The [[Koine Greek]] terms {{lang|grc|αναβιβάζων}} and {{lang|grc|καταβιβάζων}} were also used for the ascending and descending nodes, giving rise to the English terms ''anabibazon'' and ''catabibazon''.<ref>anabibazon, entry in ''Webster's third new international dictionary of the English language unabridged: with seven language dictionary'', Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1986. {{ISBN|0-85229-503-0}}.</ref><ref>[https://www.persee.fr/doc/topoi_1161-9473_2001_num_11_1_1928 New thoughts on the genesis of the mysteries of Mithras], Roger Beck, ''Topoi'' '''11''', #1 (2001), pp. 59&ndash;76.</ref>{{rp|&nbsp;¶27}}