<p>What is the proper terminology for when a satellite or spaceship passes into a planet's shadow or night side? Is it crossing the terminator? Passing into eclipse? If there is a different name for coming back into the light, what would that be as well? </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-28T14:01:42.387Z
In [Space Exploration SE](https://space.stackexchange.com/) this is often called an eclipse, and I think that term is used in the profession as well. For example see [How to calculate GEO (geostationary) satellite eclipse time?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/29700/12102) and [How large would be the seasonal variation of eclipse duration for a spacecraft in LEO?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/26195/12102) and [How often does a geostationary satellite enter into a Lunar shadow?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/33465/12102)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-28T14:01:47.173Z
and [How can I calculate if a satellite is currently in sunlight or eclipse using pyEphem or Skyfield (preferred)?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/37713/12102) I think it might be good to ask this in that site rather than this one, since the question is not so much about the field of Astronomy as it is about spacecraft technology. If asked there, it might be good to ask if there are other terms *besides* eclipse.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-28T23:28:32.453Z
It has been recommended to migrate this question to Space Exploration since it has an answer. How do I do this?
Trevortni
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-29T02:03:58.620Z
Hi @Trevortni thanks for your comment. Stack Exchange has a system for this. At the moment there's just one vote to close as "off-topic" (mine). (screenshot: https://i.sstatic.net/e44xd.png) I'm not sure if you can also vote to close as off-topic but if you can then that can help. It takes five, but at any time if a moderator decides to intervene it can happen more quickly. I think in the next day or so it will all get sorted out. Don't worry, you didn't do anything incorrect, you just posted in Space because you felt it was a better site (and it is) and didn't know about cross-posting.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-31T18:06:28.107Z
@uhoh The other question has been closed, so now this one should be able to be migrated, right?
Trevortni
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-31T18:15:43.157Z
hmm... it's 2 AM here and I'm just signing off, I'll take a look tomorrow, but migration has a hard-wired time limit. I can't remember but I think it's either 60 or 90 days. Either way this is too old for migration. If you'd like some advice from an expert then go ahead and click "flag" under your question, at the bottom there is a category "in need of moderation intervention" and you can ask a short question there. https://i.sstatic.net/KhrTg.png
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-31T18:17:36.073Z
If you'd like to ask a longer question and get multiple inputs then go to the [Astronomy Meta](https://astronomy.meta.stackexchange.com/) site and ask a question *about your question*, something like "What should be done about my question now?" and just explain what happened and what you think should or might happen next. This is actually a much better approach because you can get many viewpoints and learn a lot about how SE works.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-31T18:29:38.683Z
@uhoh Actually now I just noticed that the reason it was closed on Space Exploration (https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/40631/what-is-the-proper-terminology-for-the-process-of-a-satellite-entering-a-planet) was for being off-topic, not for being cross-posted. Maybe I should just avoid poking the hornet's nest at this point?
Trevortni
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-01T01:25:46.840Z
Oh I see what happened now, thanks! There is no "close because cross-posted" option in the dialog box. I understand the feeling that moving would be good but the standard migration is not an option for something seven months old. The moderators here are friendly and extremely helpful and have a lot of experience in these types of situations, so I think either of the options I've mentioned (flagging for moderator attention or asking something in meta) are reasonable and I would feel comfortable doing either myself if it was me, we may all learn something!
uhoh
<planet><satellite><eclipse-non-earth-related>
Proper Terminology For Satellite Going Into Planets Shadow
Trevortni
# Proper Terminology For Satellite Going Into Planets Shadow

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-28)

What is the proper terminology for when a satellite or spaceship passes into a planet's shadow or night side? Is it crossing the terminator? Passing into eclipse? If there is a different name for coming back into the light, what would that be as well?

**Tags:** planet, satellite, eclipse-non-earth-related
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: In [Space Exploration SE](https://space.stackexchange.com/) this is often called an eclipse, and I think that term is used in the profession as well. For example see [How to calculate GEO (geostationary) satellite eclipse time?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/29700/12102) and [How large would be the seasonal variation of eclipse duration for a spacecraft in LEO?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/26195/12102) and [How often does a geostationary satellite enter into a Lunar shadow?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/33465/12102)  
> **username_1**: and [How can I calculate if a satellite is currently in sunlight or eclipse using pyEphem or Skyfield (preferred)?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/37713/12102) I think it might be good to ask this in that site rather than this one, since the question is not so much about the field of Astronomy as it is about spacecraft technology. If asked there, it might be good to ask if there are other terms *besides* eclipse.  
> **username_0**: It has been recommended to migrate this question to Space Exploration since it has an answer. How do I do this?  
> **username_1**: Hi @Trevortni thanks for your comment. Stack Exchange has a system for this. At the moment there's just one vote to close as "off-topic" (mine). (screenshot: https://i.sstatic.net/e44xd.png) I'm not sure if you can also vote to close as off-topic but if you can then that can help. It takes five, but at any time if a moderator decides to intervene it can happen more quickly. I think in the next day or so it will all get sorted out. Don't worry, you didn't do anything incorrect, you just posted in Space because you felt it was a better site (and it is) and didn't know about cross-posting.  
> **username_0**: @uhoh The other question has been closed, so now this one should be able to be migrated, right?  
> **username_1**: hmm... it's 2 AM here and I'm just signing off, I'll take a look tomorrow, but migration has a hard-wired time limit. I can't remember but I think it's either 60 or 90 days. Either way this is too old for migration. If you'd like some advice from an expert then go ahead and click "flag" under your question, at the bottom there is a category "in need of moderation intervention" and you can ask a short question there. https://i.sstatic.net/KhrTg.png  
> **username_1**: If you'd like to ask a longer question and get multiple inputs then go to the [Astronomy Meta](https://astronomy.meta.stackexchange.com/) site and ask a question *about your question*, something like "What should be done about my question now?" and just explain what happened and what you think should or might happen next. This is actually a much better approach because you can get many viewpoints and learn a lot about how SE works.  
> **username_0**: @uhoh Actually now I just noticed that the reason it was closed on Space Exploration (https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/40631/what-is-the-proper-terminology-for-the-process-of-a-satellite-entering-a-planet) was for being off-topic, not for being cross-posted. Maybe I should just avoid poking the hornet's nest at this point?  
> **username_1**: Oh I see what happened now, thanks! There is no "close because cross-posted" option in the dialog box. I understand the feeling that moving would be good but the standard migration is not an option for something seven months old. The moderators here are friendly and extremely helpful and have a lot of experience in these types of situations, so I think either of the options I've mentioned (flagging for moderator attention or asking something in meta) are reasonable and I would feel comfortable doing either myself if it was me, we may all learn something!  

---

## 0 answers

