Word origin · etymology
Descriptive mathematical qualifier.
Mean names an averaged representation; node comes from the Latin word for knot. The phrase distinguishes the smoothed nodal model.
How we know · epistemology
Smoothed orbital model
Averaging removes short-period variation to provide a regular node trajectory. The result is a deliberate model, not a less carefully observed planet; comparisons with true-node positions must account for the different quantities being represented.
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