In astronomy, the term albedo refers to the brightness of an object in space. Moderately inclined to the axis, the curve is an ellipse. Pdf glossary of basic astronomical terms researchgate. The period of time, at a specified temperature, that a charged battery can be stored before its capacity falls to an unusable level. Aabsolute magnitude also known as absolute visual magnitude. Asteroid belt an area between the orbits of mars and jupiter where millions asteroids orbit the sun.
Glossary of astronomical terms absolute magnitude a scale for measuring the actual brightness of a celestial object without accounting for the distance of the object. Ultimately, the glossary is designed to cover all areas of astronomy, from quarks to quasars. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The magnitude that a star would appear to have if it were at a distance of ten parsecs from us. Glossary of astronomy terms the universe is a large place full of wondrous and unimaginable things. Usually measured in hours, minutes and seconds, though sometimes degrees are used, too. Our astronomy glossary has the essentials of carefully sourced terms and definitions to answer many questions like. See my notice for fair use practices glossary links select a letter for definitions of astronomy terms. Glossary of terms and astronomy acronyms iceinspace. Active sun the sun during times of frequent solar activity such as sunspots, flares, and associated phenomenon aimpoint the point in the planets plane that spacecraft aim for to either fly by or enter orbit. May 04, 2015 amateur astronomers love to use jargon. The terms relate only to position, and not to the astrological nature of the planets concerned. A bright celestial object that gives off xrays as a major portion of its radiation. Simple achromatic doublets are formed by combining two lenses of different.
Astronomy terms can help get you uptospeed some terms of stargazing and the science of astronomy. Students will illustrate the meanings of the terms. A crossdisciplinary dictionary of energy terms defined in language understandable to experts in several related fields, this dictionary contains an alphabetical listing of words associated with fuel technology, energy sources and transformation, economics, and the environment. A rotating disk of gas surrounding a compact object such as a neutron star or black hole, formed by material falling inward. The branch of astronomy dealing with the motions and gravitational interactions of objects in the solar system. Terms in this set 261 absolute magnitude a scale for measuring the actual brightness of a celestial object without accounting for the distance of the object. Objectivesstudents will learn the definitions of astronomy related terms. Find out the difference between a meteor and meteorite. Glossary of eclipse and astronomy terms by fred espenak. Fusion a nuclear reaction in which two nuclei merge to form a more massive nucleus. The amateur astronomy hobby contains words, labels, and technical terms that may seem be a little confusing for both beginners and the more experienced hobbyists.
Abbreviations, acronyms, and glossary of terms getting. Astronomy is concerned with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of earth. As temperature drops and phase transitions occur, the symmetry of the resulting matter is reduced again, vapour is more symmetric than water, which is more symmetric than ice. Astronomers from all over the world use the hubble space telescope. The recent change to julian year usage in dynamical astronomy and the j2000. Meridien an imaginary line in the sky arcing north to south and passing through the zenith, or point in the sky directly above an observer. A measurement of a stars intrinsic or true brightness, as measured from a standard distance of 10 parsecs. A brief glossary of commonly used astronomical terms. A accretion accumulation of dust and gas into larger bodies. Precise definitions exist for each, but in general terms, when the plane is.
The glossary lists the description of some of the technical terms you hear or see in this hobby, as well as a list of astronomy acronyms and modern constellation abbreviations. This list also includes information on particle physics, as well as pertinent statistics, graphs, and. An aquifer that is not overlain by an impermeable rock unit. Glossary of astronomical, cosmological, and space terms based on latest observations related to the big bang, cmb, and flat space while noting that galaxy formation is impossible using the cosmological constant, dark energy, or expanding space and hydrogen thin as air. One of the three prominent rings encircling saturn. Annular eclipse a type of solar eclipse in which a ring annulus of sunlight remains visible. Glossary of astronomy terms astronomy reference guide on. In terms of cosmology, when a phase transition in the early universe occurs, topological defects are formed. Asteroid belt a region of the solar system, between the orbits of mars and jupiter, in which most of the asteroids orbit. Glossary of astronomical, cosmological, and space terms. The andromeda galaxy or messier 31 m31 is the closest large galaxy to the milky way. Astronomy terms are used to describe the various phenomena in space.
Features include combining bookmarks, merge methods, changing properties and security settings of output pdf document etc. Astronomy terms and definitions flashcards quizlet. Eclipsewise glossary of eclipse and astronomy terms. Visit the orion community center for indepth information on telescopes, binoculars, and astrophotography. A spiral galaxy viewed from the side so that the disk containing the spiral arms appears to be a thin line of stars and dust crossing and extending beyond the bulge. A ringone of three saturnian rings visible from earth. Jul 01, 2017 youve probably seen or heard many unfamiliar terms while researching telescopes. In technical terms, it is the angle between the vernal equinox and the celestial meridian of the object, measured to the east. An ordinary star such as the sun at a stable point in its evolution. Glossary and terms asteroid an asteroid is a celestial body made of rock and metal that orbits the sun. Derived from latin, albedo means whiteness albus white. Hopefully it will help you understand what these words and abbreviations mean and how they are being used.
The a ring is farthest from the planet and is separated from the b ring by the cassini division. Find out the difference between a reflector and a refractor telescope. Glossary of astronomy terms astronomy reference guide on sea. This glossary of astronomy is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to astronomy and cosmology, their subdisciplines, and related fields. If you ever wonder the meaning of an astronomical word, search no further and browse below to find the definition of the space term. It is about 5 billion years old, contains 2 10 30 kilograms of material, and has a diameter more than 100 times that of earth. The degree of the zodiac rising over the eastern horizon at any given moment. High resolution mapping of planets continuously yields new discoveries in the history and the environment of the. Aberrationa shift of direction or location from the one predicted by a simple calculation.
The lexicon and glossary of terms in level 5 is a compilation and modern updating of astronomical terms culled from the published literature. A comprehensive glossary and lexicon of terms and definitions for astronomy, cosmology, astrostatistics, particle physics, galaxies, galactic and extragalactic astronomy xband a radio band at a wavelength of 3. Click on a letter of the alphabet to jump to the terms beginning with that letter. A sphere of very large radius centred on the observer. A comprehensive glossary and lexicon of terms and definitions for astronomy. Below is a list of definitions and explanations to help you navigate astronomical texts and services. Glossary of astronomical and cosmological terms tutorial. The branch of astronomy concerned with the accurate measurement of the position and proper motion of celestial objects.
Glossary of geological terms these terms relate to prospecting and exploration, to the regional geology of newfoundland and labrador, and to some of the geological environments and mineral occurrences preserved in the province. Several cases are distinguished, depending on the angle between the plane and the axis of the cone. Weve included the definitions of some of the most commonly used words in astronomy as a quick and easy reference. The astronomy glossary aims to help you understand some of the terms used in this website. At orion, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and passion for astronomy and astrophotography with the amateur astronomy community. Part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 faq age distances bibliography relativity. Dictionary of geophysics, astrophysics, and astronomy. Glossary of eclipse and astronomy terms by fred espenak annular solar eclipse a solar eclipse in which the moons antumbral shadow traverses earth the moon is too far from earth to completely cover the sun. Absolute magnitude measures how bright an object would appear if it were exactly 10 parsecs about 33 light years away from earth. Astronomy terms galaxy zoo knowing some of the most oftused astronomy terms will help you better understand the nuts and bolts of stargazing and the science of astronomy. Chemistry dictionary pdf software free download chemistry. Asteroids can vary in size from a few feet across to hundreds of miles.
The field of astronomy that studies celestial objects by the xrays they emit. Points about which the celestial sphere appears to rotate. Compared with apparent magnitude, absolute magnitude provides a more. There is a procedure known as analytic continuation which is used to convert results expressed in terms of four spatial dimensions into results. Rfi mitigation reduction is an important part of radio astronomy as the signals received from stars and galaxies are often much smaller than the noise that pollutes the observations. Glossary of astronomical terms northern virginia astronomy club. Now an employeeowned company, we pride ourselves on an unswerving commitment to best quality products, value and unmatched customer care. An average star in terms of size and mass, the sun is a yellow dwarf of spectral type g2.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Whereas astronomy is concerned with objects within the universe, cosmologists are more concerned by the universe as a whole. It is by no means a comprehensive astronomy dictionary. An aquifer that is bounded above and below by impermeable rock or sediment layers. Aberration any optical defect that causes light to deviate from reaching the focal point of a lens, therefore reducing the quality of the image absolute magnitude the brightness a star would have if located away 10 parsecs from the earth achromatic lens a lens made of two or three separate elements which has the. The apparent magnitude that a star would have if it were at a distance of 10 parsecs. Astrophysics and astronomy are enjoying a new golden era, with remarkable observations in new wave bands. In a photovoltaic device, the material that readily absorbs photons to generate charge carriers free electrons or holes. Astronomical terms can be a little technical and difficult to understand. In astronomy, this term is often used to describe the rate at which light flows. This glossary of astronomy terms contains definitions for some of the most common words used in astronomy, cosmology, astrophysics, and space exploration. A absolute magnitude also known as absolute visual magnitude, relates to measuring a heavenly objects brightness when viewed from. Asteroid a minor planet,a chunk of rock smaller than planetsize but larger than a meteoroid, in orbit around a star.
Albedo is measured on a scale from 0 to 1, where 0 refers to an object that is completely dark, i. No portion of this glossary may be reproduced without the written permission of fred espenak along with a link to this page and the following acknowledgment. In this section you can learn what every astronomy term means and how it helps us to better understand the cosmos. There may or may not be enough pressure in the aquifer to make it an artesian aquifer. Pdf defines the most commonly used terms in introductory astronomy using everyday language. You can find astrophotography how to tips and share your best astronomy pictures here. Apdf merger is an utility that lets you combine two or more image files or acrobat pdf files into a single pdf document. Nasa amazing space glossary of astronomy terms milky way is 100,000 lightyears across and,000 lightyears thick. Youve probably seen or heard many unfamiliar terms while researching telescopes. It is designed to cover all of astronomy, including particle physics and some statistics. With this list of basic telescope and astronomy terms under your belt, you can keep up with any conversation. The terms relate only to position, and not to the astrological nature. Its outer edge merges continuously into the solar wind interplanetary gas, mainly protons and electrons that streams out from the sun at speeds of several. Some common rocks, textures and structural terms are also defined.
410 96 512 801 444 984 1140 470 241 97 476 1100 680 664 1066 971 59 592 1309 20 1231 271 361 274 424 513 968 754 1045 1004 650 939 206