Question
What is the direction of an ascending pass for an amateur satellite?
Answer Options
- A) From west to east
- B) From east to west
- C) From south to north
- D) From north to south
Correct Answer: C
Explanation
In orbital mechanics, an ascending pass describes the portion of a satellite’s orbit where it crosses the Earth’s equator moving northward. The pass is often viewed from the ground station’s perspective. For most amateur satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), a typical path across the sky begins low on the horizon, rises, and then sets again.
From the perspective of a ground station, the satellite’s movement during an ascending pass will generally proceed from the Southern Hemisphere toward the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, the direction of an ascending pass is from south to north. This knowledge is essential for tracking software, which uses it to predict when a satellite will be overhead and what path it will take across the sky.
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