Recent content by Pixelworks

Good point, I would assume the same. but the magnetic fields do not define the star's rotation (aside from a braking effect) or the perceived zenith/nadir poles of a star. For the zenith/nadir poles the planetary plane is the usual point of reference... however for systems that are...

(I see only now that I falsely reversed the clockwise/counter-clockwise directions above, unfortunately I can no longer edit my post to correct this... perhaps an admin can help me out?) Your comment coincides with Prograde2, my listing of Prograde1 was a reference that I found referring to...

I did not bring Uranus into the discussion, because Uranus is a more complicated example due to its rotation at a 98° angle... meaning it is rolling like a ball along its orbit path. Because Uranus is tilted ~98 degrees, its equator (and consequently its rings and major moons) sits vertically...

Correct, I wanted to change 'lunar' to 'satellite', but forgot. The idea was to show the difference... unfortunately Venus does not have any moons. I will correct that so as not to confuse anyone. I will have to check where I found that, but I know it was used in connection to the Sun's...

I am a visual type and luckily (or maybe because of) I like to draw things out. Here is the result of my understanding so far (not to scale): Summary: Definition of Rotational Direction Prograde1: is the direction of a celestial body's rotation and synonym to 'clockwise' as seen from the...

At any rate, thank you Bandersnatch for the tip in the right direction and thank you everyone else for contributing as well as the other many good ideas. :)

Exactly. That is what caused me to begin my search for a term that I did not know to describe a relational motion that I needed. Prograde was the only term that I knew at the time and it works great for satellites that are in a long term orbit or when the perspective is primarily on the planet...

I found out that the term 'antigrade' can also be used to mean 'retrograde' when speaking in terms of the opposite of posigrade. However the author also admitted that antigrade is largely uncommon and that although the usage of retrograde causes confusion when speaking in contexts using both...

Thank you Dave, this maybe not what I was asking, not reversing orbit, but leaving orbit in one or another direction... As per my understanding, achieving a prograde or retrograde orbit is possible by taking course towards the right side or left side of a celestial body. Nevertheless, you still...

Had to look it up to be sure, but YES, that is the term that fits. It is a shame that retrograde is used for both cases though, so yes, that direction would need clarification when used. Thank you!

I think maybe I explained my question incorrectly or perhaps the terms that I am looking for simply do not exist in the form that I am looking for. Let me try a different formulation... First off, I do not mean the front or back of a spaceship itself, but rather the terms for the ship's heading...

Sorry. Yes, you are absolutely correct... that example was a Brain-fart on my side. :) In a moment of 'unconcentration', I forgot that a moon's zero rotation relative to the host planet (aka tidal-locked) does not mean that the body doesn't rotate. But the question remains the same, how is the...

I am looking for the terms that describe, or rather differentiates the difference between the direction of orbit and the 'anti-orbit' direction. If my understanding is correct, the terms retrograde and prograde motion both refer to the motion but only in regard to the body being orbited. E.g...