red giant

(astronomy) A large red coloured star with a lower surface temperature than many stars, being at the final stage of moderately massive main-sequence stars.


JD

The Julian proleptic calendar is formed by applying the rules of the Julian calendar to times before Caesar's reform, and the Julian date (JD) specifies the particular instant of a day by ending the Julian day number with the fraction of the day elapsed since the preceding Greenwich noon.

1999, Kenneth R. Lang, Astrophysical Formulae: Space, Time, Matter and Cosmology, volume II, Springer, →ISBN, page 70:


meteoritics

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From the beginning of the nineteenth century forward, meteoritics progressed steadily to an exacting and highly interdisciplinary field.

1999, Harry Y. McSween, Jr., Meteorites and Their Parent Planets, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, page 7:

Following the precedents set in previous editions of the Catalogue of Meteorites, it is not the intention of this Introduction to discuss the science of meteoritics, but simply to provide a summary of the nomenclature and classification of meteorites and the system of entries adopted.

2000, Monica M. Grady, Catalogue of Meteorites, 5th edition, Cambridge University Press, page 1:

Meteoritics, the laboratory study of meteorites, was regarded as our best window on events at the time of the origin of the planets even before their age could be measured.[…]Recently, discoveries in both meteoritics and asteroid research have brought forward several interesting connections with comets, and even the Voyager revelation of the nature of ice-rich satellites has influenced our understanding of meteorite origins.

2004, John S. Lewis, Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System, 2nd edition, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 350:

(astronomy, mineralogy, geochemistry, cosmochemistry) The science that deals with meteors, meteorites, and meteoroids.

meteorytyka

science of meteors, meteorites and meteoroids


apolune

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From apo- (“far”) + Latin lūna (“moon”).

(astronomy) The point of an elliptical lunar orbit where the distance between the satellite and the Moon is at its maximum.

apolunium

point of a lunar orbit farthest from the Moon


Hebe

From Ancient Greek Ἥβη (Hḗbē, literally “Youth, Prime of Life”).

uder

(astronomy) 6 Hebe, a main-belt asteroid.


double star

(astronomy) Two stars which form a stellar system, such that they orbit the point of equilibrium of their gravitational fields; a binary star.

(astronomy) Two stars that appear to be one when seen with the naked eye, either because they orbit one another (binary stars) or happen to be in the same line of sight even though they are separated by a great distance (optical binaries).


Amor

From the type object, 1221 Amor, itself from Latin Amor, the god of love.

(astronomy) An asteroid that orbits between the orbits of Earth and Mars.


Apollo

From Latin Apollō, from Ancient Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apóllōn).

(astronomy) The planet Mercury, when observed as a Morning Star.

(astronomy) Short for 1862 Apollo, an Apollo asteroid.


Apollo

1862 Apollo
Apollo
List of Apollo asteroids

(astronomy) An asteroid possessing an orbit that crosses the orbit of the Earth and an orbital period of over one year, with semimajor axes greater than 1 AU, and perihelion distances less than 1.017 AU.


Aquila

(astronomy) A summer constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble an eagle. It includes the star Altair.


Arctic

From Middle French artique (with -c- reintroduced after Latin in the 17th century), from Latin arcticus, from Ancient Greek ἀρκτικός (arktikós, “northern, of the (Great) Bear”), from ἄρκτος (árktos, “bear, Ursa Major”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ŕ̥tḱos (“bear”). Cognate with Latin ursus.

etymon

frm>artique>pertaining to the North Pole

der

(astronomy, now only in compounds) Pertaining to the celestial north pole, or to the pole star.


Argo

From Latin Argo, from Ancient Greek Ἀργώ (Argṓ), the mythical ship of the Argonauts.

(astronomy) Argo Navis, a large constellation in the southern hemisphere, now divided into Carina, Puppis, and Vela.


Aries

From Latin Aries, from aries (“ram”), calque of Ancient Greek Κριός (Kriós), calque of Akkadian 𒅈𒌺𒊑𒈨 (immeru, “sheep”).

calque

The Bull, being gall’d, gave Aries such a knock / That down fell both the Ram’s horns in the court.

c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

(astronomy) A constellation of the zodiac supposedly shaped like a ram.


Atlas

en-proper noun

Atlas (countable and uncountable, plural Atlases)

From Latin Ā̆tlās, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas), either from ἁ- (ha-, copulative prefix) + Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“bear, undergo, endure”) or of Pre-Greek origin.

der

A placename:
(astronomy) A moon of Saturn.

(astronomy) A crater in the last quadrant of the moon.

(astronomy) A triple star system in the Pleiades open cluster (M45) also known as 27 Tauri.


Auriga

(astronomy) A winter constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a charioteer. It includes the star Capella.


Aurora

/ʔaʊ̯ˈɾo.ɾɐ/

Aurora (disambiguation)
Gérard de Lairesse
Manuel Quezon

Ultimately from Latin Aurōra. The Philippine placenames were named after First Lady Aurora Quezon, the wife of Pres. Manuel Quezon, the 2nd president of the Philippines.

(astronomy) 94 Aurora, a main belt asteroid.


Bianca

en-proper noun

Bianca (countable and uncountable, plural Biancas)

From Italian Bianca, equivalent of English Blanche.


Caelum

From Latin caelum (“a chisel”). Named in the 17th century by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille.

(astronomy) A summer constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble a chisel.


Calliope

From Latin Calliope, from Ancient Greek Καλλιόπη (Kalliópē), from κᾰλλῐ- (kăllĭ-, “beautiful”) + ὄψ (óps, “voice”).

(astronomy) 22 Kalliope, a main belt asteroid.


Calypso

(astronomy) 53 Kalypso, a main belt asteroid; not to be confused with the Saturnian moon mentioned above.


Cancer

Learned borrowing from Latin cancer (“crab”), calque of Ancient Greek Καρκίνος (Karkínos, “crab”).

calque

And add more coals to Cancer when he burns / With entertaining great Hyperion.

c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

(astronomy) A constellation of the zodiac supposedly shaped like a crab.


Castor

(astronomy) A double star in the constellation Gemini; alpha (α) Geminorum.


Centaurus

From Latin centaurus, from Ancient Greek κένταυρος (kéntauros, “centaur”). Doublet of centaur.

uder

(astronomy) A spring constellation of the northern sky (and autumn of the southern sky) with the outline of a centaur. It includes the stars Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman), Proxima Centauri, and Hadar.


Cetus

(astronomy) A winter constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a whale. It includes the star Mira.


Chaos

From Latin chaos (“chaos”), from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos).

19521 Chaos
Chaos (Warhammer)
Chaos (cosmogony)

(astronomy) A planetoid and cubewano orbiting in the Kuiper belt.


Cl

(astronomy) A cluster of galaxies — a galaxy cluster.

(astronomy) A cluster of stars — a star cluster.


Corvus

Borrowed from Latin corvus (“raven, crow”).

(astronomy) A constellation of the southern sky south of the constellation Virgo, said to resemble a crow.


Crater

From Latin crater (“basin; cup”), from Ancient Greek κρατήρ (kratḗr, “mixing bowl, wassail-bowl”), from κράμα (kráma, “mixture”), from κεράννυμι (keránnumi, “to mix, to mingle”).

(astronomy) A dim spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a cup. It lies between the constellations Virgo and Hydra.


Crux

Learned borrowing from Latin crux (“a cross”).

lbor

(astronomy) A distinctive winter constellation of the southern sky, shaped like a cross. It appears in the flags of several countries in Oceania.


Cygnus

Borrowed from Latin cygnus (“swan”), from Ancient Greek κύκνος (kúknos, “swan”).

(astronomy) A summer constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a swan. It includes the triple star system HD 188753 and the stars Deneb and Albireo.


Delphinus

From Latin delphīnus, from Ancient Greek δελφίν (delphín), a later form of the previous δελφίς (delphís, “a dolphin”). Doublet of dolphin.

(astronomy) A small summer constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a dolphin. It lies between the constellations Cygnus and Aquila.


Dike

From Ancient Greek Δίκη (Díkē, literally “Justice, Order, Judgement”).

bor

(astronomy) 99 Dike, a main belt asteroid.


Draco

Borrowed from Latin Dracō, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek Δρᾰ́κων (Drắkōn). Doublet of dracone, dragon, and dragoon.

Draco
Draco (constellation)
Draco (lawgiver)
Draco Dwarf

(astronomy) A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a dragon. It features a line of stars (including Thuban) that winds between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.


Echo

60 Echo
Alexandre Cabanel
Echo (mythology)

(astronomy) 60 Echo, a main belt asteroid.


Flora

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From Latin Flōra (Roman goddess of flowers).

(astronomy) 8 Flora, a main-belt asteroid.


Galaxy

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See yonder, lo, the Galaxyë / Which men clepeth the Milky Wey, / For hit is whyt.

1380, Geoffrey Chaucer, The House of Fame:

So may thy cheekes red outweare scarlet dye, / And their white, whitenesse of the Galaxie […]

(astronomy, dated, now proscribed) The Milky Way Galaxy.


Gemini

/ˈd͡ʒɛmɪnaɪ/

/ˈd͡ʒɛmɪniː/

Borrowed from Latin geminī, plural of geminus (“twin”), calque of Ancient Greek Δίδυμοι (Dídumoi).

calque

(astronomy) A constellation of the zodiac traditionally taken to represent the pair of twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology. It contains the stars Castor, Pollux, and Alhena.


Grus

Named by Dutch explorers Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman between 1595 and 1597. From Latin grūs (“a crane (bird)”), originally from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to cry hoarsely”).

der

(astronomy) A spring constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble a crane. It contains the star Alnair and lies south of the constellation Piscis Austrinus.


Hamal

From Arabic رَأْس الْحَمَل (raʔs al-ḥamal, “head of the sheep”).

bor

رَأْس الْحَمَل

(astronomy) An orange giant and the brightest star in the constellation Aries; alpha (α) Arietis.


Han

An early romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 韓 /韩 (Hán), an ancient Chinese placename.

(astronomy) The star Zeta Ophiuchi in traditional Chinese astronomy, named for this state


Harmonia

(astronomy) 40 Harmonia, a main belt asteroid.


Hydra

[ˈhaɪ̯d͡ʒɹə]

From Latin Hydra, the mythical serpent, originally from Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra), from Proto-Indo-European *údreh₂ (“aquatic”). Doublet of otter.

At night I lie dry-eyed on my little bed and turn my head to and fro to catch sight of one little star by one little star along the tail of Hydra, and think you are alive, you survive. Is this not what you wanted?

2021, A. K. Blakemore, The Manningtree Witches, Granta Books, page 232:

(astronomy) A spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a serpent. It lies just south of the zodiac and contains the star Alphard.


Hydrus

Named by Dutch explorers Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman between 1595 and 1597. From Latin hydrus (“water serpent”), originally from Ancient Greek Ὕδρα (Húdra, “Hydra”).

(astronomy) A winter constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble a small serpent. It lies between the constellations Mensa and Tucana. It is not to be confused with the constellation Hydra.


Inflation

Ages of the Universe
Ages of the Universe#English

(cosmology) The inflationary epoch of the Universe, where the size of the space of universe expanded at speeds beyond the speed of light. One of the Ages of the Universe. The cosmic era when most formulations of Big Bang theory start their timelines.


Io

Another whisper, sir, near Io. We have probes en route.

2004 November 9, Bungie, Halo 2, spoken by Cortana (Jen Taylor), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox, level/area: Cairo Station:

(astronomy) A moon of Jupiter, known for its volcanic activity, peppered with about 400 active volcanoes.

(astronomy) 85 Io, a main belt asteroid; the asteroid shares its name with the Jovian moon


Iris

From Ancient Greek Ἶρις (Îris, “rainbow”).

(astronomy) 7 Iris, a main belt asteroid.


Kale

From Ancient Greek Καλή (Kalḗ, literally “beauty”), see καλός (kalós, “beautiful”).


Lacerta

Named by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687. From Latin lacerta (“a lizard”)

(astronomy) An inconspicuous autumn constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a lizard. It lies between the constellations of Cygnus and Andromeda.


Leo

From Latin leō (“lion”), from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn). Doublet of Leon, leu, lev, lion, and Lyon.

doublet

(astronomy) A constellation of the zodiac, shaped approximately like a lion and containing the stars Regulus and Denebola.


Lepus

Borrowed from Latin lepus (“rabbit, hare”).

(astronomy) A winter constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a rabbit. It lies south of the constellation Orion.


Leto

en:68 Leto
en:Leto
en:Leto (disambiguation)
en:Leto (surname)

en-proper noun

Leto (countable and uncountable, plural Letos)

(uncountable, astronomy) 68 Leto, An asteroid in Asteroid Belt, Solar System


Libra

(astronomy) A constellation of the zodiac, supposedly shaped like a set of scales.


Linear

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(astronomy) A comet, cataloged as “C/1999 S4”, discovered on September 27, 1999, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research program in New Mexico. (See https://web.archive.org/web/20051220100856/http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/comets/linear.html) Sometimes spelled LINEAR.


Lupus

(astronomy) A summer constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble a wolf. It lies south of the constellation Libra.


Lynx

From Latin lynx (“lynx”). Named by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687. The constellation is said to be so faint that one needs the eyes of a lynx to see it.

(astronomy) A faint spring constellation of the northern sky. It lies north of the constellation Cancer.


Lyra

Borrowed from Latin Lyra/lyra, from Ancient Greek λύρα (lúra, “a lyre; the constellation Lyra”). Doublet of lira and lyre.

der

(astronomy) A summer constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a lyre. It includes the bright star Vega and the Ring Nebula.


Magi

/ˈmeɪˌd͡ʒaɪ/

Adoration of the Magi
Historical Museum Bamberg
Lucas Cranach the Elder

From magi (plural of magus (“magician; (derogatory) conjurer or sorcerer, especially one who is a charlatan or trickster; Zoroastrian priest”)), from Middle English mages, magi or Magi, magy or Magy (“men possessing occult knowledge; astrologers, philosophers, sorcerers”), from Latin magī, from magus (“magician; (derogatory) conjurer or sorcerer, especially one who is a charlatan or trickster; Zoroastrian priest”) + -ī (suffix forming nominative or vocative masculine plurals). Magus is derived from Ancient Greek μάγος (mágos), Μάγος (Mágos, “magician; (derogatory) conjurer, sorcerer; Zoroastrian priest”) (plural μᾰ́γοι (mắgoi), Μᾰ́γοι (Mắgoi)), from Old Iranian (compare Avestan 𐬨𐬊𐬕𐬎 (moġu), Old Median and Old Persian 𐎶𐎦𐎢𐏁 (m-gu-u-š /maγu-/, title of a person?)), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able, have power; power; sorcerer”).

ref

From the collection of the Historical Museum Bamberg in Bamberg, Upper Franconia, Germany.

der

(astronomy, by extension) The three bright stars (Alnitak (ζ Ori), Alnilam (ε Ori), and Mintaka (δ Ori)) that form Orion's Belt in the Orion constellation.

Orionin vyö

three bright stars that form Orion's Belt


Mark

From Middle English Mark, from the Latin praenomen (i.e. first name) Mārcus, derived from Mārs, the Roman god of war, originally Māvors, from Proto-Italic *Māwortis.


Mars

From Middle English Mars, from Latin Mārs (“god of war”), from older Latin (older than 75 BCE) Māvors.

Mars has two moons, Deimos and Phobos.

‘There’s another one. There can’t be two Marses,’ said Phyllis. / And sure enough there was. A smaller red point, a little up from, and to the right of, the first.

1953, John Wyndham [pseudonym; John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris], “Phase One”, in The Kraken Wakes, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd, published 1966, page 12:

Well, see, we’re building a steam-driven solar system from a kit. (Cheaper than the Japanese miniaturized, transistorized models, which have two Marses and no Earth sometimes.)

1964 November 30, Philip K[indred] Dick, “[To Carol Carr]”, in The Selected Letters of Philip K. Dick, volume 1 (1938–1971), Grass Valley, Calif.: Underwood Books, published 1996, →ISBN, page 136:

The planet Mars, seen by Cro-Magnon eyes, presumably was a blue summer world with air and water. Winter Mars, seen by modem man, a red ice-capped desert. Two Marses coincided briefly in his mind’s eye, then rushed apart into endless cycles of Red and Blue … Human fingers intended to halt Mars at the moment of perfection, and hold a whole world there!

1977, Ian Watson, “Mummy-cloth”, in The Martian Inca, London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, section four, page 47:

With its Mars-like landscape, visiting Gurbantunggut Desert feels like escaping to another world.

2018 September 22, Marissa Carruthers, “Five of the best places to go off grid in Asia, get back to nature and away from office phone calls”, in South China Morning Post, archived from the original on 2018-09-23, Travel & Leisure:

(astronomy) The fourth planet in the solar system. Symbol: ♂


Mensa

From Mons Mensae (mensa (“table”)), from Montagne de la Table.
Originally named Montagne de la Table after Table Mountain in South Africa in 1756 by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. By 1763 this had been Latinised as Mons Mensae. In 1922 the International Astronomical Union shortened this to Mensa.

(astronomy) A summer constellation of the southern sky, originally named after Table Mountain in South Africa. It lies between the constellations of Hydrus and Volans.


Mercury

Inherited from Middle English Mercurie, from Latin Mercurius.

Thou, first of the children of men, art come to Mercury, where thou and I will journey up and down for a season to show thee the lands and oceans, the forests, plains, and ancient mountains, cities and palaces of this world, Mercury, and the doings of them that dwell therein.

1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros, London: Jonathan Cape, page 1:

(astronomy) The first planet in the Solar system with the closest orbit to the Sun, named after the god; represented by ☿.


Nemesis

From Ancient Greek Νέμεσις (Némesis, “Nemesis, goddess of retribution”).

bor

(astronomy) 128 Nemesis, a main belt asteroid.

(astronomy) A hypothetical star postulated to be orbiting the Sun to explain a perceived cycle of mass extinctions in the geological record.


Nereid

From nereid (“sea-nymph in Greek mythology, attendant of the god Neptune”).

(astronomy) One of the satellites of the planet Neptune


Nix

Named after the mother of Charon, goddess of darkness and night.

(astronomy) One of the moons of Pluto (named 21 June 2006.)


Pan

From Middle English Pan, from Latin Pān, form Ancient Greek Πάν (Pán).

(astronomy) An inner moon of the planet Saturn, notable for its equatorial ridge.


Phoebe

Borrowed from Latin Phoebē, from Ancient Greek Φοίβη (Phoíbē), feminine form of Φοῖβος (Phoîbos, “bright”).


Phoenix

From Latin phoenīx, from Ancient Greek φοῖνῐξ (phoînĭx), Φοῖνῐξ (Phoînĭx).

(astronomy) A spring constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble the mythical bird. It lies north of Tucana.


Pisces

From Latin piscēs, the nominative plural of piscis (“fish”).

(astronomy) The Fish, a Greco-Roman constellation of the zodiac named for its presumed resemblance to a pair of fish


Plough

Later on, as I walked home / The Plough was showing, and Orion

1998, Belle and Sebastian (lyrics and music), “Ease Your Feet in the Sea”, in The Boy with the Arab Strap:

(astronomy, British, common name) The brightest seven stars of the constellation Ursa Major. They are Alkaid, Mizar, Alioth, Megrez, Dubhe, Merak, and Phecda.


Polaris

From Latin stēlla polāris (“pole star”).

(astronomy) α Ursae Minoris, a trinary star in the constellation Ursa Minor located near the north celestial pole for the last 1500 years.


Poltergeist

From poltergeist, the supernatural entity. From orbiting a neutron star, a "dead" star, a star that no longer contains a fusion core, but which is radiating away its stored energy.

Milky Way Galaxy
Milky Way Galaxy#English

(planets) A planet in Lich star system, Milky Way Galaxy, Virgo constellation; One of the pair of planets that were the first exoplanets which were discovered. A planet in orbit of the pulsar Lich (PSR B1257+12)


Q

en-noun

Q (countable and uncountable, plural Qs)


Regulus

(astronomy) A star in the constellation Leo; alpha (α) Leonis.


Rhea

(astronomy) Saturn V, one of the moons of Saturn.


Sagitta

/səˈd͡ʒɪt.ə/

/səˈd͡ʒɪt.ə/

Borrowing from Latin Sagitta (“the Arrow”), from sagitta (“an arrow, shaft, bolt”).

(astronomy) A small autumn constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble an arrow. It lies between the constellations of Vulpecula and Aquila.


Sagittarius

/ˌsadʒɪˈtɛːɹɪ.əs/

/ˌsædʒəˈtɛɹiəs/

(astronomy) A constellation of the zodiac supposedly shaped like a centaur who is an archer. It contains the stars Kaus Australis and Nunki.


Scorpius

/ˈskɔːɹpɪəs/

Borrowed from Latin scorpius (“scorpion”).

bor+

(astronomy) A constellation of the zodiac, roughly shaped like a scorpion. Its brightest star is the red giant Antares.


Scutum

Named by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687, from Latin scūtum (“shield”). The original name given was Scutum Sobiescianum (Sobieski's Shield) in commemoration of the victory of the Polish, Austrian, and German forces led by the Polish king Jan III Sobieski at the battle of Vienna.

(astronomy) A small autumn constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a shield. It lies between the constellations of Aquila, Sagittarius, and the tail of Serpens.


Sextant

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Spica

Latin spīca virginis "Virgo's ear of grain"

The constellation Virgo is a Y-shaped group, of which α, the star at the foot, is the well-known Spica, a star of the first magnitude.

1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921:

(astronomy) A binary star in the constellation Virgo; alpha (α) Virginis.


Sy

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Seyfert galaxy., a type of AGN class of active galaxy.


Taurus

From Latin Taurus (from taurus (“bull”)), from Ancient Greek Ταῦρος (Taûros); compare Aramaic תּוֹר (tor), Arabic ثَوْر (ṯawr). Latin taurus (“bull”) is a doublet of steer, tur, Tavros, and Tarvos.

doublet

Meronym: Crab Nebula

See, see, thou hast shot off one of Taurus' horns.

(astronomy) A constellation of the zodiac supposedly shaped like a bull and containing the star Aldebaran.


Terra

From Latin Terra (“goddess of the earth; the land itself”).


Titan

(astronomy) A moon in Saturn, Solar System. The largest moon of the planet Saturn.


Vela

Named by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1763. From Latin vēla (“sails of a ship”), plural of vēlum. Doublet of veil.

(astronomy) A spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble the sails of a ship. Until 1763, it was part of a larger constellation, Argo Navis.


Virgo

From Latin virgō (“maiden, virgin”). Doublet of virgin.

Now, masters, draw. [They shoot.] O, well said, Lucius! Good boy, in Virgo’s lap.

The constellation Virgo is a Y-shaped group, of which α, the star at the foot, is the well-known Spica, a star of the first magnitude. [...] The whole resembles more a cup than the human figure; but when we remember the symbolic meaning of the cup, that seems to be an obvious explanation of the name Virgo, which the constellation has borne since the earliest times.

1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 30:

(astronomy): A constellation in the zodiac, imagined in the shape of a maiden, that contains the bright binary star Spica.


Wagon

Derived either as a synonym of Wain, i.e. Charles' Wain, or directly from the wagonlike shape of the constellation. Compare also the synonym Northern Waggoner.
See wagon and wain.

(astronomy) A bright circumpolar asterism of the northern sky, said to resemble a ladle or cart. It is part of the constellation Ursa Major and includes the stars Mizar, Dubhe, and Alkaid.


Wall

(astronomy) A Chinese constellation located near Pegasus and Andromeda, one of the 28 lunar mansions and part of the larger Black Turtle.


Wo

(astronomy) the prefix of catalog entries in the Gliese star catalog, the Richard van der Riet Woolley expansion


Xiphias

(astronomy) Synonym of Dorado (“constellation of the southern sky”)


Hyperion

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Theia

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Θεία (Theía).

According to the reigning hypothesis, about 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after Earth had accreted down into a sphere from its little slub of circumsolar material, another newborn planet, still shaky on its feet, slammed obliquely into Earth with terrifying force. That "giant impactor", named Theia, who in Greek mythology was mother to the goddess of the moon, is thought to have been roughly the size of Mars and to have been pulverized in the encounter, along with a good chunk of the proto-Earth. From that fiery cloud of all-Theia and part-Earth, the scenario goes, our moon soon condensed.

2014 September 7, Natalie Angier, “The Moon comes around again [print version: Revisiting a moon that still has secrets to reveal: Supermoon revives interest in its violent origins and hidden face, International New York Times, 10 September 2014, p. 8]”, in The New York Times:

(astronomy) A hypothesised Mars-sized planet of the early solar system thought to have collided with the Earth to produce the Moon.


Mnemosyne

From Ancient Greek Μνημοσύνη (Mnēmosúnē).

(astronomy) 57 Mnemosyne, a main belt asteroid.


Themis

(astronomy) 24 Themis, a main belt asteroid.


Iapetus

From Ancient Greek Ἰαπετός (Iapetós).
* (moon): Named after the titan.
* (ocean): The Iapetus Ocean was the predecessor to the Atlantic Ocean, so this name was chosen because Iapetus is the father of Atlas (see Atlantic).

Alternative form: Japetus

Saturnian system
Saturnian system#English

(astronomy) A moon in Saturnian system, Solar System: The third largest moon of Saturn


triquetrum

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descend

en-verb

descend (third-person singular simple present descends, present participle descending, simple past and past participle descended)

descends (present singular third-person)
descending (participle present)
descended (participle past)
descended (past)
descend (infinitive)

PIE word
 *de
The verb is derived from Middle English descenden (“to move downwards, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to go from a better to a worse condition, decline, degenerate; to be a descendant, derive from (a source); etc.”), from Anglo-Norman descendere, descendre, and Old French descendere, descendre (“to move downwards, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to be a descendant, derive from (a source); etc.”) (modern French descendre), and from their etymon Latin dēscendere, the present active infinitive of dēscendō (“to come or go down, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to be a descendant; etc.”), from de- (prefix meaning ‘from; down from’) + scandō (“to ascend, climb; to clamber”) (from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to climb, scale; to dart; to jump”)).
The noun is derived from the verb.

laskea

to pass from a higher to a lower part of (something)

afgaan

to physically move or pass from a higher to a lower place or position

[T]he ſetting Sun / Slowly deſcended, and with right aſpect / Againſt the eaſtern Gate of Paradiſe / Leveld his eevning Rayes: […]

1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 540–543:

The moon had reached her summit in the heavens and was beginning to descend; the clouds swept across it swifter than the flight of the vulture and dimmed her rays, while the lake reflected the scene of the busy heavens, rendered still busier by the restless waves that were beginning to rise.

1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter VI, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume III, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, pages 116–117:

Sol, with broaden'd orb, descending, / Left fierce warriors still contending, / Brilliant Vesper shed her glances, / Ere they sheathed their blood-stained lances.

a. 1836 (date written), James Hogg, Flodden Field; republished in Robert Murray, “James Hogg”, in Hawick Songs and Song Writers, 3rd edition, Hawick, Roxburghshire: W. & J. Kennedy, 1897, →OCLC, page 31:

Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.

(intransitive) To physically move or pass from a higher to a lower place or position; to come or go down in any way, such as by climbing, falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to move downwards; to fall, to sink.

(astronomy) Of a celestial body: to move away from the zenith towards the horizon; to sink; also, to move towards the south.

laskeutua

of a celestial body: to move away from the zenith towards the horizon; to move towards the south


martial

en-adj

martial (comparative more martial, superlative most martial)

more martial (comparative)
most martial (superlative)

From Middle English martial, marcial, mercial, mercialle (“relating to war, warlike; military; for use in fighting or warfare; brave, hardy; combative, fierce; ruthless, vicious; domineering, overbearing”), from Middle French martial (modern French martial (“martial”)), or directly from its etymon Latin mārtiālis (“of or pertaining to Mars, the Roman god of war”), from Mārtius (“of or pertaining to Mars”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship). The English word is cognate with Italian marziale (“martial”), Portuguese marcial (“martial”), Spanish marcial (“martial”).

der

[R]ound about the plain / All hid with slaughter'd carcasses, yet still did hotly reign / The martial planet; [...]

[1611?], Homer, “Book IV”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., The Iliads of Homer Prince of Poets. […], London: […] Nathaniell Butter, →OCLC; republished as The Iliads of Homer, Prince of Poets, […], new edition, volume I, London: Charles Knight and Co., […], 1843, →OCLC, page 117:

For, having found out by a careful series of observations, the parts of Mars' orbit where the planet entered upon its various seasons, he [William Herschel] noted that, soon after mid-winter of the northern hemisphere, the northern white spot attained its greatest dimensions, while the southern was reduced to a tiny oval of light; whereas half a Martial year later, the southern spot was at its largest, and the northern a mere speck when compared with its winter appearance.

1869 February 6, “The Planet of War”, in E[neas] S[weetland] Dallas, editor, Once a Week, volume III, number 58 (New Series), London: Bradbury, Evans, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 74, column 1:

No naturalist can watch winter and summer come and go on the opposite hemispheres of the martial planet, without feeling that life must have come into being where all the machinery of life is in such perfect working.

1874 September, N[athaniel] S[outhgate] Shaler, “The Moon”, in The Atlantic Monthly: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics, volume XXXIV, number CCIII, Boston, Mass.: H[enry] O[scar] Houghton and Company; New York, N.Y.: Hurd and Houghton […], →OCLC, page 277:

(not comparable, astronomy, obsolete) Of or relating to the planet Mars; Martian.


Martial

From Latin Martialis (“Roman cognomen”), from martiālis (“belonging or dedicated to the Mars, the Roman god of war, or to war”), from Mārs (“the god Mars; the planet Mars”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns).

(astronomy, obsolete) Alternative letter-case form of martial (“of or relating to the planet Mars”)


Van Allen radiation belt

en-noun

Van Allen radiation belt (plural Van Allen radiation belts)

From James Alfred Van Allen, US physicist.

(astronomy, physics) Either of two torus-shaped areas of high-energy charged particles which partly surround Earth, trapped by its magnetic field. The areas are characterised by intense radiation. When the belts "overload", particles strike the upper atmosphere and fluoresce, causing the polar aurora.

James Alfred Van Allen
Van Allen radiation belt

Van Allenin säteilyvyöhyke

either of two torus-shaped areas circling Earth


planetary ring

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(astronomy) a ring of dust, moonlets and other matter that orbits a planet (such as Saturn) as a flat disc; gaps in the ring are due to the presence of shepherd moons


Ixion

From Latin Ixīōn, from Ancient Greek Ἰξίων (Ixíōn, literally “strong native”).

der

(astronomy) A Kuiper belt object (KBO), 28978 Ixion (provisional designation 2001 KX₇₆), once thought to be a possible dwarf planet.


Kuiper belt object

en-noun

Kuiper belt object (plural Kuiper belt objects)

Named after Gerard Kuiper, who theorized about the belt's existence.

trans-Neptunian object
trans-Neptunian object

(astronomy) A trans-Neptunian object (TNO) (a type of minor planet) that has an orbit in the Kuiper belt (between 30-50 AU) with inclinations consistent with the ecliptic.

objet de la ceinture de Kuiper

minor planet with an orbit in the Kuiper belt


cubewano

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From Acronym of QB1. + -o.
Derived from QB1 ("cue bee one"), short for (15760) 1992 QB1, the first such object discovered

(astronomy) Any Kuiper belt object whose orbit is not determined by resonance with Neptune (orbit ~ 40-50 AU).


trans-Neptunian object

trans-Neptunian object (plural trans-Neptunian objects)

(astronomy) Any natural object (usually a minor planet (asteroid) or a hypothetical planet) in the Solar System with all or most of its orbit outside the orbit of Neptune.


KBO

Coordinate term: TNO

Kuiper belt object
Kuiper belt object#English

(astronomy) Initialism of Kuiper belt object.


white dwarf

(astronomy) A dying star of low or medium mass, more solid and dense but dimmer than the Sun.


Styx

(astronomy) The 5th moon of Pluto, discovered in 2012.


GP

GP (countable and uncountable, plural GPs or GP)

green pea galaxy
green pea galaxy#English

(countable, astronomy) Abbreviation of green pea galaxy.


RE

(astronomy) Earth radius: the radius of planet Earth, regarded as a unit of measurement.


blob

From Middle English *blob (“attested in blobby”). Possibly onomatopoeic, similarly to bleb and blubber.

inh

attested in <i class="Latn mention" lang="enm">blobby</i>

Ellipsis of extended Lyman-Alpha blob (a huge body of gas that may be the precursor to a galaxy).


areography

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(astronomy, geography) The scientific study of the planet Mars' geographical features; geography of Mars.


Neptunian

From Neptune (“eighth planet in the solar system”) + -ian.

suffix

After making a sketch of the Neptunian regions for the dates from 1790 to 1800, I soon came to the conclusion that the nights of the 8th and 10th of May, 1795, were the only ones that afforded a reasonable prospect of furnishing an observation of Neptune, and accordingly computed for the evening of the 10th of May, the limits of the Neptunian region, or in other words the locus of Neptune as a fixed star, [...]

1851, Sears C[ook] Walker, “Researches Relative to the Planet Neptune”, in Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, volume II, Washington, D.C.: Published by the Smithsonian Institution, →OCLC, section 2, page 17:

The planet Uranus, in like manner, detached, in process of time, a satellite, followed, in the progress of the cosmic ages, by seven others. A slow disturbing influence, supposed also to be recognized in the Neptunian system, has manifested itself in the Uranian, in an excessive obliquity of the plane of the Uranian satellites—an obliquity which considerably exceeds a right angle, [...]

1874 January, [Alexander Winchell], “Art. V.—The Unity of the Physical World.”, in D. D. Whedon, editor, Methodist Quarterly Review, volume XXVI (4th Series; volume LVI overall), New York, N.Y.: Nelson & Phillips; Cincinnati, Oh.: Hitchcock & Walden, section II (Facts of Succession), subsection I (Primordial History of the Solar System), page 83:

For the Neptunian rings, we again expect that Q#95;#123;occ#125;#61;2 for Earth-based occultation data, so long as the mean particle size is substantially larger than the wavelength of observation (2.2μm). [...] In fact, photometric observations suggest that most Neptunian ring particles are sub-centimeter in size [...], so that we have Q#95;#123;occ#125;#92;simeq 2.

1995, Carolyn C. Porco, Philip D. Nicholson, Jeffrey N. Cuzzi, Jack J[onathan] Lissauer, Larry W. Esposito, “Neptune’s Ring System”, in Dale P. Cruikshank, with M. S. Matthews and A. M. Schumann, editors, Neptune and Triton (Space Science Series), Tucson, Ariz.: University of Arizona Press, →ISBN, page 733:

Neptune has a faint ring system and 14 known moons. The largest of these is Triton, which contains over 90% of the mass of all the Neptunian moons, and is the only Neptunian moon that's spherical.

2017, Helen Klus, “The Planet Neptune”, in How We Came to Know the Cosmos: Space & Time, [United Kingdom]: The Star Garden, →ISBN, part III (Missions to Planets), paragraph 24.2, page 220:

(astronomy) Of or pertaining to the planet Neptune.


radio telescope

en-noun

radio telescope (plural radio telescopes)

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(astronomy) A device for observing astronomical sources of radio waves, normally having one or more large parabolic dishes.


DPS

Division for Planetary Sciences
w:Division for Planetary Sciences

(US, planetology) Initialism of Division for Planetary Sciences.


EC

EC (countable and uncountable, plural ECs)

enstatite chondrite
enstatite chondrite#English

(uncountable, geology, astronomy) Initialism of enstatite chondrite.


LFC

luminous fast cooler
luminous fast cooler#English

(astronomy) Initialism of luminous fast cooler.


symbiotic

From symbiosis + -tic, from Ancient Greek συμβίωσις (sumbíōsis), from σύν (sún, “with”) + βίος (bíos, “life”).


areology

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(astronomy, geology) The scientific observation and study of the planet Mars's geology; geology of Mars.

areologjí

the observation and study of the planet Mars


astrogeology

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(astronomy, geology) The science dealing with the structure and composition of planets and other bodies in the solar system.

astrogeologia

the science of planet's structure and composition


Jovian

en-adj

Jovian (comparative more Jovian, superlative most Jovian)

more Jovian (comparative)
most Jovian (superlative)

From Latin Iovis, genitive of Iuppiter, analysable as Jove + -ian.

(astronomy) Pertaining to the planet Jupiter.


BCD

(astronomy) Initialism of blue compact dwarf.


SLE

(planetology, areology) Initialism of single-layer ejecta.


light bucket

reflecting telescope
reflecting telescope

(astronomy, idiomatic, informal) A reflecting telescope, especially one with a relatively large aperture and suitable for observing deep sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies.


CME

en-noun

CME (countable and uncountable, plural CMEs)

If the Earth had been in its path, this would have been followed minutes to hours later by the electrons and protons accelerated by the blast, followed by the CME, a billion-ton cloud of magnetized plasma.

2014 July 25, Maev Kennedy, The Guardian:

coronal mass ejection
coronal mass ejection#English

(astronomy, countable) Initialism of coronal mass ejection.


elliptical

From elliptic + -al, from Ancient Greek ἐλλειπτικός (elleiptikós), from ἐλλείπω (elleípō, “I leave out, omit”).


Methuselah

From Hebrew מְתוּשֶׁלַח (M'tušelaḥ), also spelled מְתוּשָׁלַח (M'tušalaḥ). The planet's name stems from the fact that, at the time of its discovery in 2003, it was the oldest known planet.

(astronomy) A planet in PSR B1620-26 star system, Messier 4 globular cluster, Milky Way Galaxy, Scorpius constellation; a circumbinary planet, officially named PSR B1620-26 b, orbiting a pulsar (“PSR B1620-26 A”) and white dwarf (“WD B1620-26 B”).


heliopause

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(astronomy) The boundary of heliosphere where the Sun's solar wind is stopped by the interstellar medium.


telescopic

en-adj

telescopic (comparative more telescopic, superlative most telescopic)

more telescopic (comparative)
most telescopic (superlative)

telescopic stars

(chiefly astronomy) Seen by means of a telescope; only visible through a telescope.


AAS

(astronomy) Initialism of American Astronomical Society (a United States society of professional astronomers)


granule

Borrowed from French granule or directly from Late Latin grānulum, diminutive of Latin grānum (“grain”); for more, see grain. By surface analysis, grain + -ule.

(astronomy) a small mark in the photosphere of the sun caused by convection currents. See also Wikipedia:Granule (solar physics).


ansa

Borrowed from Latin ānsa (“a handle, haft”).

(astronomy) The most protruding part of planetary rings as seen from a distance, perceived to project like handles on either side of the disc of the planet.


Earthshine

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(astronomy) Alternative letter-case form of earthshine


earthshine

/ˈɜː(ɹ)θʃaɪn/

(astronomy) Reflected earthlight visible on the Moon's night side.


absolute magnitude

en-noun

absolute magnitude (countable and uncountable, plural absolute magnitudes)

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(astronomy) The intrinsic luminosity that a celestial body would have if viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs or about 32.6 light years.

絕對星等 /绝对星等

intrinsic luminosity of a celestial body


apparent magnitude

apparent magnitude (countable and uncountable, plural apparent magnitudes)

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(astronomy) a numerical measure of the brightness of a star, planet etc.; a decrease of 1 unit represents an increase in the light received by a factor of 2.512

magnitude apparente

measure of the brightness of a heavenly body


proplyd

protoplanetary disc
protoplanetary disc#English

(astronomy) Synonym of protoplanetary disc


protoplanetary disc

protoplanetary disc (plural protoplanetary discs)

protoplanetary disk
protoplanetary disk#English

(astronomy) Alternative form of protoplanetary disk


T Tauri star

Named after the prototype star of its class, T Tauri.

(astronomy) Any of a class of young visible stars having optical variability; they are often surrounded by a protoplanetary disc.


planetary

erratical and planetary life

1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):

(astronomy) Of, or relating to planets, or the orbital motion of planets.


epicycle

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From Latin epicyclus, from Ancient Greek ἐπίκυκλος (epíkuklos), from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + κύκλος (kúklos, “circle”).

Is it not [Philosophie], that […] teacheth miserie, famine and sicknesse to laugh? Not by reason of some imaginarie Epicicles, but by naturall and palpable reasons.

(astronomy) A small circle whose centre is on the circumference of a larger circle; in Ptolemaic astronomy it was seen as the basis of revolution of the "seven planets", given a fixed central Earth.

епицикъл

a small circle whose centre is on the circumference of a larger circle


solar time

solar time (countable and uncountable, plural solar times)

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(astronomy, time) A calculation of the passage of time based on the apparent position of the Sun in the sky.


solar day

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(astronomy) One day of solar time; the time in which a planet such as Earth apparently rotates once around its axis relative to the Sun; the time taken for the Sun to seem to be in the same place in the sky twice (on Earth about 24 hours as an average - the length of solar day is not constant throughout the year)

আফতাবী রোজ

time for a planet to rotate once relative to the sun


apsis

From Latin apsis, hapsis, from Ancient Greek ἁψίς (hapsís, “arch, vault”). See also apse.

der

(astronomy) Either of the points in the elliptical orbit of a planet, comet, or moon where it is closest or furthest from the body it orbits; examples are perihelion, aphelion, perigee, and apogee


Ceres

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Learned borrowing from Latin Cerēs, goddess of the bounty, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“to grow, to nourish”). More at create.

(astronomy) A celestial body orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, the innermost dwarf planet; officially called (1) Ceres. (see usage notes)


Itokawa

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Named for the Japanese rocket scientist Hideo Itokawa.

(astronomy) An asteroid; properly 25143 Itokawa


Meridiani Planum

(astronomy) a plain on the surface of Mars; a landing site for several unmanned missions


Acheron Fossae

(astronomy) an area of intense tectonic activity on the surface of Mars; photographed in detail by Mars Express


filament

Borrowed from Medieval Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlō (“to spin, draw out in a long line”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”).

solar filament

galaxy filament

the Ursa Major Filament

(physics, astronomy) A massive, thread-like structure, such as those gaseous ones which extend outward from the surface of the sun, or such as those (much larger) ones which form the boundaries between large voids in the universe.


PAP

participatory anthropic principle
w:participatory anthropic principle

(cosmology, epistemology) Initialism of participatory anthropic principle.


Triton

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(astronomy) The seventh moon of Neptune.


PN

planetary nebula
planetary nebula#English

(astronomy) Initialism of planetary nebula.


zodiacal

en-adj

zodiacal (comparative more zodiacal, superlative most zodiacal)

more zodiacal (comparative)
most zodiacal (superlative)

From Latin zōdiacus + -al. By surface analysis, zodiac + -al.

[…] in some passages of the Old Testament they think they discover the Zodiacal course of the Sun […]

1683, Thomas Browne, “Observations upon Several Plants Mention’d in Scripture”, in Certain Miscellany Tracts, London: Charles Mearn, page 3:

For several evenings the pale twinkling of the somber zodiacal stars lighted up the west side of the heavens for some time after the sun had set.

1912, Henryk Sienkiewicz, chapter 14, in Mary Webb Artois, transl., Through the Desert, New York: Benziger Brothers:

She knew by heart everyone’s Zodiacal sign.

1959, Muriel Spark, chapter 2, in Memento Mori, New York: New Directions, published 2000:

In the zodiacal procession of the poles, the 25,920-year cycle, Lascaux is the time of Virgo, and Virgo is associated with artistic excellence and discrimination.

1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 130:

(astronomy, astrology) Of or pertaining to the zodiac.


resonance

en-noun

resonance (countable and uncountable, plural resonances)

From Old French resonance (French résonance), from Latin resonantia (“echo”), from resonō (“I resound”).

(astronomy) An influence of the gravitational forces of one orbiting object on the orbit of another, causing periodic perturbations.


amplitude

amplitude (countable and uncountable, plural amplitudes)

Borrowed from Middle French amplitude, from Latin amplitūdō, from amplus (“large”). By surface analysis, ample + -itude.

(astronomy) The arc of the horizon between the true east or west point and the center of the sun, or a star, at its rising or setting. At the rising, the amplitude is eastern or ortive: at the setting, it is western, occiduous, or occasive. It is also northern or southern, when north or south of the equator.

(astronomy) The arc of the horizon between the true east or west point and the foot of the vertical circle passing through any star or object.


Uranian

Aphrodite Pandemos
Aphrodite Urania
Louvre
Voyager 2

/jʊˈɹeɪnɪən/

The Uranian year is equal to 84 terrestrial years, or 30687 terrestrial days; and the Uranian day, according to the probable estimate, being shorter than the terrestrial day in the ratio of 1 to 2⁵²⁶⁄₁₀₀₀, it follows that the Uranian year consists of 77336 Uranian days.

1854, “The Planets: Are They Inhabited Worlds?”, in Dionysius Lardner, editor, The Museum of Science & Art, volume I, number 6, London: Walton and Maberly, […], →OCLC, chapter III, paragraph 8, page 36:

The inclination of the plane of Uranus's equator to the path in which he travels being about 76°, it follows that the Uranian sun has a range of about 76° on either side of the celestial equator, during the long Uranian year.

1872, Richard A[nthony] Proctor, “Uranus and Neptune, the Arctic Planets”, in Other Worlds than Ours: The Plurality of Worlds Studied under the Light of Recent Scientific Researches, 3rd edition, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 170:

He had not quite decided whether to be a physicist or a chemist; probably he would have chosen the trans-Uranian borderland between the two.

1949, John Gunther, “Foreword”, in Death Be Not Proud: A Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC; Harper Perennial Modern Classics edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper Perennial, 2007, →ISBN, page 9:

A decisive argument supporting this hypothesis was the discovery of a remarkable characteristic of the arrangement of the Uranian rings: near the outer edge of the rings there exist several orbits each of which is in resonance with a pair of rings simultaneously.

1989, A. M. Fridman, N[ick] N. Gor′kavyi, “The Dynamics of Planetary Rings and the Prediction of New Uranian Satellites”, in I[saac] M[arkovich] Khalatnikov, editor, Physics Reviews (Soviet Scientific Reviews, Section A), volume 12, part 4, London: Harwood Academic Publishers, →ISBN, page 326:

Twice during a uranian year, the rings appear edge-on for a brief period, referred to as a ring plane crossing (RPX).

2007 September 28, Inke de Pater, H. B. Hammel, Mark R. Showalter, Marcos A. van Dam, “The Dark Side of the Rings of Uranus”, in Science, volume 317, number 5846, Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1888:

(astronomy) Of or pertaining to the planet Uranus.


gibbous

en-adj

gibbous (comparative more gibbous, superlative most gibbous)

more gibbous (comparative)
most gibbous (superlative)

From Middle English gibbous, from Latin gibbus (“humped, hunched”), probably cognate with cubō (“bend oneself, lie down”), Italian gobba (“humpback”), Ancient Greek κῡφός (kūphós, “humpback, bent”), κύβος (kúbos, “cube, vertebra”), Spanish giboso (“humped”). Also ultimately compare dialectal Norwegian keiv (“slanted, wrong”), German schief (“crooked, slanting”) and Dutch scheef (“crooked, slanting”).

cog

Coordinate term: crescent

The moving moon, full, gibbous, or crescent-shaped, shone at last for the navigators of the eighteenth century like a luminous hand on the clock of heaven.

1995, Dava Sobel, Longitude, Herper Perennial, published 2011, →ISBN, page 89:

On December 7, 1972, the Apollo 17 astronauts took a photograph of a gibbous Earth at a distance of eighteen thousand miles from its surface.

2021, Ruth Ozeki, The Book of Form and Emptiness, Canongate Books, published 2022, page 252:

(astronomy, of a celestial body) Having more than half (but not the whole) of its disc illuminated.


annulus

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ānnulus, a misspelling of Latin ānulus (“ring, especially one worn on a finger”), from ānus (“ring”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₂no- (“ring”)) + -ulus (diminutive suffix).
The plural form annuli is a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ānnulī.

lbor

(astronomy) A ring of light in a celestial body, especially when caused by an annular eclipse (for example, when the Sun and Moon are in line with the Earth, but the Moon does not completely cover the Sun's disc).


IAU

(astronomy) Initialism of International Astronomical Union (an association of professional astronomers, founded in 1919.)

International Astronomical Union

(astronomy) The main belt asteroid 5000 IAU, named after the astronomical union.


trojan

/ˈtɹəʊd͡ʒən/

/ˈtɹoʊd͡ʒən/

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(astronomy) Describing a satellite (moon or minor planet) that shares an orbit with another


optical spectrum

en-noun

optical spectrum (plural optical spectrums or optical spectra)

optical spectrums (plural)
optical spectra (plural)

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(astronomy, physics) The range of frequencies of visible light.


twilight

twilight (countable and uncountable, plural twilights)

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Middle English twilight, twyelyghte, equivalent to twi- (“double, half-”) + light, literally ‘second light, half-light’. Cognate to Scots twa licht, twylicht, twielicht (“twilight”), Low German twilecht, twelecht (“twilight”), Dutch tweelicht (“twilight, dusk”), German Zwielicht (“twilight, dusk”). Compare Old English twēone lēoht (“twilight”).

(astronomy) The time when the sun is less than 18° below the horizon.


heliosheath

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We encroach deeper into the furthest extent of the heliosheath, which thins out all the time.

2023, Martin MacInnes, In Ascension, Atlantic Books, page 388:

(astronomy) A zone between the termination shock and the heliopause, in the heliosphere, at the outer border of the Solar System, where the solar wind is dramatically slower than within the termination shock.


solar flare

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(astronomy) A violent explosion in the Sun's atmosphere.


luminosity distance

luminosity distance (plural luminosity distances)

(astronomy) An estimate of the distance of a body based on its luminosity and the inverse square law.


polar

/ˈpəʊ̯lə(ɹ)/

[ˈpʰəʊ̯lə(ɹ)]

From Late Latin polāris, equivalent to pole + -ar.

(space sciences) Of an orbit that passes over, or near, one of these poles.

napa-

of an orbit passing near a geographic pole


vernal equinox

vernal equinox (plural vernal equinoxes)

(astronomy) The moment when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator while tilting towards the observer, taking place in March in the northern hemisphere and September in the southern hemisphere.


prominence

prominence (countable and uncountable, plural prominences)

From obsolete French prominence (compare proéminence), from Latin prominentia.

(astronomy) A gaseous projection, often loop-shaped, springing from the surface of the Sun or a star.


culminate

en-verb

culminate (third-person singular simple present culminates, present participle culminating, simple past and past participle culminated)

culminates (present singular third-person)
culminating (participle present)
culminated (participle past)
culminated (past)

Recorded since 1647, from Medieval Latin culminatus, the past participle of culminare (“to crown”), from Latin culmen (“peak, the highest point”), older form columen (“top, summit”), from Proto-Italic *kolamen, from a Proto-Indo-European base *kol-, *kelH- (“to project, rise; peak, summit, top”), whence also English hill and holm.

der

(intransitive, astronomy) Of a heavenly body, to be at the highest point, reach its greatest altitude.


perturb

en-verb

perturb (third-person singular simple present perturbs, present participle perturbing, simple past and past participle perturbed)

perturbs (present singular third-person)
perturbing (participle present)
perturbed (participle past)
perturbed (past)

From Middle English perturben, from Old French perturber, from Latin perturbare (“throw into confusion, confuse, disorder, disturb”), from per (“through”) + turbare (“to confuse, disturb”).

der

(astronomy) To modify the motion of a body by exerting a gravitational force.


Julia

From Latin Iūlia, feminine form of the Roman gens name Iūlius. Further popularized by early Christian saints. Doublet of Julie.

89 Julia
Julia
Julia (programming language)

(astronomy) 89 Julia, a main belt asteroid; named for Saint Julia of Corsica.


scintillate

en-verb

scintillate (third-person singular simple present scintillates, present participle scintillating, simple past and past participle scintillated)

scintillates (present singular third-person)
scintillating (participle present)
scintillated (participle past)
scintillated (past)

Borrowed from Latin scintillātus, past participle of scintillāre (“to sparkle, glitter, gleam, flash”), from scintilla (“a spark”).

Do the stars scintillate at all altitudes? Is there any altitude at which it ceases to manifest itself? At Morges the stars in general scintillate at all altitudes, although feebly near the zenith; but on the nights when the scintillation is very faint, it ceases completely at a zenith distance of 45°.

1857 December 11, Charles Dufour, “Notes on the Scintillation of the Stars. By Professor Dufour. (Extracts of Letters to Professor Piazzi Smyth.)”, in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Containing Papers, Abstracts of Papers, and Reports of the Proceedings of the Society, volume XVIII, number 2, London: Printed by George Barclay, Castle Street, Leicester Square and published at the apartments of the [Royal Astronomical] Society, published 1858, →OCLC, page 53:

It is generally believed that the planets do not scintillate at all, or scarcely at all. Nevertheless I have often observed a sensible scintillation of Venus and Mars, and in a few rare cases I have also observed a slight scintillation of Jupiter and Saturn. […] I would therefore call the attention of observers who may find themselves under atmospherical conditions of a nature to render the general scintillation very strong, to this point, as they might perhaps be able to ascertain whether Jupiter and Saturn ever sensibly scintillate.

1860 March, Charles Dufour, “XXIX. Instructions for the Better Observation of the Scintillation of the Stars. By Charles Dufour, Professor of Mathematics at Morges.”, in The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, volume XIX (4th Ser.), number CXXVI, London: Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, printers and publishers to the University of London [...], page 223:

A star, or other point-like source, viewed through the atmosphere can be seen by eye to fluctuate in intensity. An extended object has a brightness distribution that is convolved with the seeing disk. That is, the object's brightness distribution can be thought of as a series of point sources of different brightness, each one 'blurred' to the size of the seeing disk and each seeing disk is scintillating. If the eye could spatially resolve each of these points, it would see brightness fluctuations across a source. However, the resolution of the human eye (≈ 1′) is much poorer than the seeing (≈ 1″). […] The result is that the eye perceives an extended source as steadily shining.

2007, Judith A[nn] Irwin, “Measuring the Signal”, in Astrophysics: Decoding the Cosmos, Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 48:

(astronomy) Of a star or other celestial body: to vary rapidly in brightness; to twinkle.


astrometric

/ˌastɹəʊˈmɛtɹɪk/

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(astronomy) of or relating to astrometry


cosmic

en-adj

cosmic (comparative more cosmic, superlative most cosmic)

more cosmic (comparative)
most cosmic (superlative)

(astronomy, dated) Rising or setting with the sun; not acronycal.


egress

en-noun

egress (countable and uncountable, plural egresses)

From Latin ēgressus, from ex- + gressus.

(astronomy) The end of the transit of a celestial body through the disk of an apparently larger one.


relic

From Middle English relik et al., from Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae (“remains, relics”), from relinquō (“I leave behind, abandon, relinquish”), from re- + linquō (“I leave, quit, forsake, depart from”).

One of the primary targets of current and especially future cosmological observations are light thermal relics of the hot big bang.

2019, Wallisch, Benjamin, “Abstract”, in Cosmological Probes of Light Relics, page ix:

(cosmology) A particle or entity that has existed since the Big Bang.


annular eclipse

annular eclipse (plural annular eclipses)

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(astronomy) a solar eclipse in which the thin outer disk of the sun can be seen as a ring around the moon


Mohorovičić discontinuity

/məʊhəʊˈɹə(ʊ)vɪtʃɪtʃ ˌdɪskɒntɪˈnjuːɪti/

Andrija Mohorovičić
Mohorovicic discontinuity

Named for Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić (1857-1936).

(astrogeology, planetology) A similar structure on other bodies, that separates crust from mantle.


exo-

From Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō, “outer; external”).

der

exo- + planet → exoplanet

exo- + biology → exobiology

(astronomy) extrasolar; beyond the Solar System (our solar system)


nearside

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(astronomy) The face of the Moon nearest the Earth.


equinoctial

Inherited from Middle English equinoctial, equinoccial, equinoxial, from Old French equinoxial, from Latin (circulus) aequinoctiālis, from aequinoctium + -alis.

inh+

an equinoctial gale or storm, i.e. one happening at or near the time of the equinox, in any part of the world

(astronomy) Of or relating to the spring or autumnal equinox.

(astronomy) Of or relating to the celestial equator.


termination shock

en-noun

termination shock (plural termination shocks)

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Studying the role of the termination shock and that of the heliosheath in cosmic ray modulation with numerical models has become most relevant since Voyager 1 crossed the termination shock on 16 December 2004 (e.g. Burlaga et al., 2005).

2007, A. Balogh, Louis J. Lanzerotti, Steve T. Suess, The Heliosphere through the Solar Activity Cycle, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 211:

(astronomy) The boundary marking one of the outer limits of the Sun's influence, where the solar wind dramatically slows.

choc terminal

(by extension, astronomy) That point for space around any star.


bow shock

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(astronomy) The region of the magnetosphere in which the solar wind slows from supersonic to subsonic.


NN

(astronomy) the prefix of catalog entries in the Gliese star catalog, the expansion called the Preliminary Version of the Third Catalogue of Nearby Stars


Vega

From Medieval Latin, from Arabic وَاقِع (wāqiʕ, “falling”), from the expression النَّسْر الوَاقِع (an-nasr al-wāqiʕ, “falling eagle”). The active participle وَاقِع (wāqiʕ) derives from the verb وَقَعَ (waqaʕa, “fall, drop, tumble, alight, pounce”).

(astronomy) The brightest star in the constellation Lyra; Alpha (α) Lyrae. It forms one corner of the Summer Triangle.

اَلنَّسْر اَلْوَاقِع

the brightest star in the constellation Lyra

織女星

おりひめせい, Orihime-sei, しょくじょせい, Shokujo-sei


QCD

Quasi Circular Depression
w:Quasi Circular Depression

(planetology) Initialism of Quasi Circular Depression.


digression

digression (countable and uncountable, plural digressions)

/dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/

/daɪˈɡɹɛʃən/

From Old French digressiun or disgressiun, from Latin dīgressiōnem, from dīgressus + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs), the past passive participle of dīgredior (“to step away, to digress”), from dis- + gradior (“to step, walk, go”).

շեղում

a departure from the main subject in speech or writing

This digression [of the Sun] is not equall, but neare the Æquinoxiall intersections, it is right and greater, near the Solstices, more oblique and lesser.

1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, Bk. VI, Ch. iv, p. 288:

(astronomy, physics) An elongation, a deflection or deviation from a mean position or expected path.


Apophis

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From Ancient Greek Ἄποφις (Ápophis), a borrowing from Egyptian ꜥꜣpp altered after ὄφις (óphis, “snake”).

The spacecraft’s navigators have worked out a trajectory that would take it to the asteroid Apophis in April 2029, just after that object, a bit smaller than Bennu, zips within an uncomfortably close but still safe 20,000 miles from Earth.

2021 May 10, Kenneth Chang, “Bye-Bye, Bennu: NASA Heads Back to Earth With Asteroid Stash in Tow”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(astronomy) An asteroid that formerly had a high risk of collision with Earth.


quaquaversal

en-adj

quaquaversal (comparative more quaquaversal, superlative most quaquaversal)

more quaquaversal (comparative)
most quaquaversal (superlative)

From Latin quaqua versus (“turned wheresoever”).

der

(astronomy) Dipping towards a center in all directions.

ドーム状の

astronomy: dipping towards a center in all directions


MOO

massive overdense object
massive overdense object#English

(astronomy) Initialism of massive overdense object.


red dwarf

(astronomy) A small, relatively cool star of the main sequence.


gravitational lens

en-noun

gravitational lens (plural gravitational lenses)

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Thus the galactic gravitational lens effect is not important in maintaining the radio reference coordinate system with mas accuracy, if quasars as fiduciary points are pertinently selected.

1981, Ido Kansokujo, editor, Publications of the International Latitude Observatory of Mizusawa, Volumes 15-20, page 27:

The two other examples of gravitational lenses discussed above have not been modeled as elaborately.

1987, McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, Volume 8, McGraw-Hill, unnumbered page:

Subsequent discoveries of several more examples of gravitational lenses eliminated all doubts about gravitational focussing predicted by general relativity.

1999 August, Guillermo A. Lemarchand, Karen J. Meech, editors, Bioastronomy '99: A New Era in Bioastronomy, Proceedings, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, page 575:

(astronomy) A distribution of matter whose gravitational field bends the path of light rays sufficiently to distort, magnify or multiply images of more distant objects.

引力透鏡 /引力透镜

astronomy: body whose gravitational field bends light rays


gravitational redshift

gravitational redshift (plural gravitational redshifts)

(astronomy, physics) A shift to longer wavelengths of spectral lines emitted by atoms in a strong gravitational field.


BCG

brightest cluster galaxy
brightest cluster galaxy#English

(astronomy) Initialism of brightest cluster galaxy.

blue compact galaxy
blue compact galaxy#English

(astronomy) Initialism of blue compact galaxy.


starburst

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(astronomy) A region of space with an unusually high rate of star formation.

The Milky Way will see a starburst in approximately 200,000,000 years.

(astronomy) A period in time during which a region of space experiences an unusually high rate of star formation.


starburst

en-verb

starburst (third-person singular simple present starbursts, present participle starbursting, simple past and past participle starbursted)

starbursts (present singular third-person)
starbursting (participle present)
starbursted (participle past)
starbursted (past)

(astronomy, of a region of space) To experience an unusually high rate of star formation.


Pleiad

(astronomy, demonym) A member of the Pleiades cluster.


réseau

Borrowed from French réseau (“network”).

(astronomy) A system of lines forming small squares of standard size, which is photographed, by a separate exposure, on the same plate with star images to facilitate measurements, detect changes of the film, etc.


main sequence

Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram

(astronomy) A major grouping of stars represented on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram by a nearly uniform band of increasing luminosity with increasing surface temperature.


Ionian

en-adj

Ionian (comparative more Ionian, superlative most Ionian)

more Ionian (comparative)
most Ionian (superlative)

* (Hellenic, Ionia, architecture): Ionia + -n
* (moon of Jupiter): Io + -n- + -ian

Bagenal, Dowling & McKinnon (2007), Jupiter: The Planet, Satellites and Magnetosphere. Cambridge University Press, p. 313.
Despite the variations in Ionian vulcanism ...

(astronomy, planetology) Relating to Io, one of the moons of the planet Jupiter.

(astronomy) Relating to the asteroid (52) Io.


ring system

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(astronomy) The combined system or structure formed by all of the rings orbiting a planet


pulsar

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Blend of pulsating + (radio) star, patterned after quasar. Coined by British astronomers Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell in 1968, and first used in print in The Daily Telegraph. Analyzable as pulse + -ar

coin

(astronomy) A rotating neutron star that emits radio pulses periodically.

Antony Hewish
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
The Daily Telegraph
en:pulsar


magnetar

Blend of magnet + pulsar. Analyzable as magnet + -ar.

This signal could be detected with Advanced LIGO-class detectors up to the distance of the Virgo cluster, where ≥ 1 yr⁻¹ magnetars are expected to form.

2007, S. Dall'Osso, L. Stella, “Newborn magnetars as sources of gravitational radiation: constraints from high energy observations of magnetar candidates”, in Silvia Zane, Roberto Turolla, Dany Page, editors, Isolated Neutron Stars: From the Surface to the Interior, page 119:

2008, W. Becker, F, Haberl, J Trümper, 14: Pulsars and Isolated Neutron Stars, Joachim E. Trümper, Günther Hasinger (editors), The Universe in X-Rays, page 193,
The radio-silent neutron stars include anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs), soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), and “quiescent” neutron star candidates in SNRs. There is growing evidence that AXPs and SGRs are indeed magnetars (see [109] for a review).

One of most mysterious feature[s] of magnetars is their X-ray luminosities, which always exceed the rotational energy loss. Thus, the energy source of the radiation of magnetars is a mysterious question.

2011, Yukikatsu Terada, Tadayasu Dotani, “The International X-ray Observatiry and other X-ray missions, expectations for pulsar physics”, in Nanda Rea, Diego F. Torres, editors, High-Energy Emission from Pulsars and Their Systems: Proceedings of the First Session of the Sant Cugat Forum on Astrophysics, page 576:

(astronomy) A neutron star or pulsar with an extremely powerful magnetic field, especially those on which starquakes occur, thought to be the source of some gamma-ray bursts.


starquake

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Astronomers call the sudden changes in the neutron star starquakes. The energy released in a starquake is enormous and flows out from the star into the space surrounding it. After the 1969 starquake on the Crab pulsar, a wave of energy was seen to flow outwards, rippling through the centre of the Crab Nebula.

1985, Paul Murdin, Lesley Murdin, New Astronomy, page 131:

2000, Richard I. Epstein, Bennett Link, Starquake-Induced Glitches in Pulsars, Kwong-Sang Cheng H, F, Chau, K. L. Chan, K. C. Leung (editors), Stellar Astrophysics: Proceedings of the Pacific Rim Conference, page 96,
Starquakes in slowing neutron stars drive matter toward the magnetic poles, distort the star's shape, and excite precession.

2000, Carl Sagan, Jerome Agel, Carl Sagan's Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial Perspective [new edition of 1973, The Cosmic Connection], page 260,
Should the core be solid, starquakes are expected — a shifting of the matter under enormous stress in the interior of the star. Such starquakes should produce a discontinuous change in the period of rotation of the neutron star. Such changes, called "glitches," are observed.

(astronomy) A violent tremor or quake that occurs on or near the surface of a star, especially a collapsed star.


pole star

From pole (“either of the two points on the Earth’s surface around which it rotates; similar points on any other rotating object”) + star, possibly a calque of Latin stēllam polārem (“the Pole Star”).

calque

Polaris is currently the pole star of planet Earth.

Who can doubt that poetry will revive and lead in a new age, as the star in the constellation Harp, which now flames in our zenith, astronomers announce, shall one day be the pole-star for a thousand years?

1837 August 31, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The American Scholar. An Oration Delivered before the Phi Beta Kappa Society, at Cambridge, August 31, 1837.”, in J[ames] E[lliot] Cabot, editor, Nature, Addresses, and Lectures (Emerson’s Complete Works; I), Riverside edition, London: The Waverley Book Company, published 1883, →OCLC, page 84:

(astronomy) The star visible to the naked eye which was in the past, is now, or will be in the future nearest a celestial pole of a planet.

poolster

star visible to the naked eye which was, is, or will be nearest a celestial pole of a planet


Damocloid

(astronomy) An asteroid (such as 5335 Damocles) that exhibits long-period, highly eccentric orbits typical of periodic comets without showing a coma.


Damocloid

en-adj

Damocloid (not generally comparable, comparative more Damocloid, superlative most Damocloid)

more Damocloid (comparative)
most Damocloid (superlative)

(astronomy) Of or relating to a Damocloid asteroid.


vulcanoid

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From Vulcan + -oid, from the hypothetical planet Vulcan, erroneously believed to exist within the orbit of Mercury.

(astronomy) A member of the hypothetical population of small asteroids orbiting in the dynamically stable zone between 0.08 and 0.21 AU from the Sun


vulcanoid

(astronomy) Of or pertaining to a vulcanoid.


short-period

(astronomy) Having an orbital period of less than 200 years, especially said of comets


LINEAR

Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research
w:Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research

(astronomy) Initialism of Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research program.


near-Earth object

en-noun

near-Earth object (plural near-Earth objects)

small Solar System body
small Solar System body#English

(astronomy) A small Solar System body (ie. asteroid, comet, or large meteoroid) whose orbit brings it into proximity with Earth's orbit.

földközeli objektum

asteroid, comet or large meteoroid whose orbit intersects Earth's orbit


NEO

NEO (countable and uncountable, plural NEOs)

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) that follow horseshoe paths, and approach our planet at close range and low relative velocity, may undergo mini-moon events in which their geocentric energy becomes negative for hours, days or months, but without completing one revolution around Earth while bound. An example of NEO experiencing such a temporarily captured flyby is 2022 NX₁, which was a short-lived mini-moon in 1981 and 2022.

2024 September, Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, “A Two-month Mini-moon: 2024 PT₅ Captured by Earth from September to November”, in Research Notes of the AAS, American Astronomical Society, →DOI:

near-Earth object
near-Earth object#English

(astronomy, countable) Initialism of near-Earth object.


meteoroid

(astronomy) A relatively small (sand- to boulder-sized) fragment of debris in a star system that produces a meteor when it hits the atmosphere


extrasolar

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Some comets are thought to have an extrasolar origin.

(astronomy) of or originating outside the Solar System.


parallax

parallax (countable and uncountable, plural parallaxes)

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From Middle French parallaxe, from Ancient Greek παράλλαξις (parállaxis, “alteration”) from παραλλάσσω (parallássō, “to cause to alternate”) from ἀλλάσσω (allássō, “to alter”) from ἄλλος (állos, “other”).

der

(astronomy) The angle of seeing of the astronomical unit.


Titania

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A style of Diana in Ovid, fem. of titanius, from Titan. As faeries were identified with Classical nymphs, the queen of the faeries was equated with Diana.

(astronomy): The largest satellite of the planet Uranus.


luminosity

en-noun

luminosity (countable and uncountable, plural luminosities)

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Borrowed from French luminosité, equivalent to luminous + -ity.

We recognize the same pattern as in the left panel, with dM stars being much less frequent flarers than dMe stars of similar luminosity.

2012, O. Havnes, B. R. Pettersen, J. H. M. M. Schmitt, Activity in Cool Star Envelopes: Proceedings, page 56:

We derive rotation periods, photometric activity indices, flaring energies, mass loss rates, gyrochronological ages, X-ray luminosities and consider implications for the planetary magnetospheres and habitability.

2015, D. J. Armstrong, C. E. Pugh, A.-M. Broomhall, D. J. A. Brown, M. N. Lund, H. P. Osborn, D. L. Pollacco, “The Host Stars of Keplers Habitable Exoplanets: Superflares, Rotation and Activity”, in arXiv:

(astronomy) The rate at which a star radiates energy in all directions.


α-Centauri

translingual α (“brightest”) + translingual Centauri (“a star in that constellation”)

af

(astronomy) The brightest star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus.


alignment

en-noun

alignment (countable and uncountable, plural alignments)

From French alignement, by surface analysis, align + -ment.

(astronomy) The conjunction of two celestial objects.

konjunkce

astronomy: conjunction of two celestial objects


lunar phase

(astronomy) Any of the near-monthly cyclically occurring aspects or appearances presented by a moon as seen from its planet (unless otherwise specified, the Moon as seen from Earth).

fase lunar

any one of the aspects presented by the moon

harvest moon

these are recurrent but less frequently than near-monthly


first quarter

(astronomy) The waxing lunar phase, from new moon to half way between new moon and full moon.


gibbous moon

A bat, against the gibbous moons,
Danced, implike, with its lone delight;
The glowworm scrawled a golden rune
Upon the dark; and, emerald-strewn,
The firefly hung with lamps the night.

(astronomy) A lunar phase either side of the full moon when the moon's disc as seen from the Earth is larger than a semicircle.


Sylvia

Feminine form of a Medieval form of Silvius, from Latin silva (“forest”). In myths, Rhea Silvia was the mother of famous twins Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. 6th-century saint Silvia was the mother of the pope Gregory the Great.

(astronomy) 87 Sylvia, a main belt asteroid; named for Rhea Silvia, mother of Romulus and Remus.


unformed

en-adj

unformed (comparative more unformed, superlative most unformed)

more unformed (comparative)
most unformed (superlative)

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(astronomy, of stars) Not grouped into any constellation.


urano-

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-urano-.wav


compression

en-noun

compression (countable and uncountable, plural compressions)

Borrowed from Middle French compression, from Latin compressiō.

(astronomy) The deviation of a heavenly body from a spherical form.


(astronomy) Describing a grouping of stars in the Milky Way galaxy halo that are 2,500 times lower than the sun.


extinction

extinction (countable and uncountable, plural extinctions)

From late Middle English, borrowed from Latin extinctio (“extinction, annihilation”), from extinguere, past participle extinctus (“to extinguish”); see extinguish.

der

extinction event → Triassic-Jurassic extinction event

electromagnetic radiation
electromagnetic radiation

(astronomy) The absorption or scattering of electromagnetic radiation emitted by astronomical objects by intervening dust and gas before it reaches the observer.


quadrature

en-noun

quadrature (countable and uncountable, plural quadratures)

/ˈkwɑd.ɹəˌt͡ʃʊɚ/

When the Moon is in quadrature, it appears in the sky as a half-moon.

(astronomy) A situation in which the directions of two celestial bodies (or a celestial body and the Sun) form a right angle from the perspective of the observer.


Frigga

From Frigg + -a, with suffix added to make the name more obviously feminine in English.

(astronomy) 77 Frigga, a main belt asteroid.


celestial sphere

celestial sphere (plural celestial spheres)

(astronomy) The apparent outer limit of space; an abstract sphere of infinite radius which serves as the imaginary backdrop for celestial objects, and of which the visible sky is one hemisphere.


binary star

(astronomy) A stellar system in which two stars orbit around their center of mass; double star.

dubbelster

stellar system in which two stars orbit their center of mass


alidade

From French alidade, from Spanish alidada, from Arabic العِضَادَة (al-ʕiḍāda), perhaps from عَضُد (ʕaḍud, “upper arm”).

(cartography, astronomy, surveying) A sighting device used for measuring angles.


Herbig-Haro object

Herbig-Haro object (plural Herbig-Haro objects)

From George Herbig and Guillermo Haro, astronomers.

(astronomy) a small, bright knot of nebular emission in a dark, interstellar cloud of gas and dust; thought to be mass ejected from a young star


meteoritic

(astronomy) Of or pertaining to meteorites, meteors, or meteoroids.


DSO

(astronomy) Initialism of deep sky object.


deep-sky

A modern term used primarily by amateur astronomers.

(astronomy) Existing outside of the Solar System; relating to that which exists outside of the Solar System.

mélységobjektum

object in the night sky other than a solar system object, single star or multiple star system


nebular

en-adj

nebular (comparative more nebular, superlative most nebular)

more nebular (comparative)
most nebular (superlative)

(astronomy) Of or pertaining to a nebula.


Isis

Learned borrowing from Latin Īsis from Ancient Greek Ἶσις (Îsis), from Egyptian st-t:H8-B1 (ꜣst).

(astronomy) 42 Isis, a main belt asteroid.


Hertzsprung-Russell diagram

en-noun

Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (plural Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams)

After astronomers Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell.

(astronomy) A graphic representation of the absolute magnitude of stars against their color (or surface temperature), which shows the main sequence of stars plus the white dwarfs and red giants.

диагра́мма Ге́рцшпрунга — Ра́ссела f (diagrámma Gércšprunga — Rássela)


blue giant

(astronomy) a very hot and very luminous star that emits visible light in the blue portion of the spectrum


blue supergiant

blue supergiant (plural blue supergiants)

(astronomy) A very large, hot and luminous star; a large blue giant.


supergiant

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-supergiant.wav

(astronomy) A very large star having a mass between 10 and 70 solar masses.


protostar

/ˈpɹəʊtə(ʊ)stɑː/

-əʊtəʊstɑː(ɹ)

-əʊtəstɑː(ɹ)

From proto- + star. Compare later protostellar.

(astronomy) A collection of gas and dust in space with high temperature that usually grows to the point of beginning nuclear fusion and becoming a star.


Ariel

General American, Mary–marry–merry merger

Alexander Pope
Ariel
John Herschel
The Rape of the Lock
The Tempest
William Lassell
William Shakespeare

From Biblical Hebrew אֲרִיאֵל (ari'él, a compound of אֲרִי (arí, “lion”) + אֵל (él, “God”), literally “lion of God”).
* (moon of Uranus): All of Uranus’s moons are named after characters created by William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope. The names of all four satellites of Uranus then known were suggested by John Herschel in 1852 at the request of William Lassell, though it is uncertain if Herschel devised the names, or if Lassell did so and then sought Herschel’s permission. Ariel is the name of the leading sylph in Pope’s The Rape of the Lock and also the spirit who serves Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

bor

(astronomy) The brightest moon of the planet Uranus.


totality

en-noun

totality (countable and uncountable, plural totalities)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-totality.wav

(astronomy) The phase of an eclipse when it is total.


DM

DM (countable and uncountable, plural DMs)

(physics, astronomy) Abbreviation of dark matter.


hot spot

пизэке

place notable for a high level of activity or danger

While researchers can see the path that Yellowstone burned as the hot spot migrated from Oregon across Idaho and into Wyoming, discerning one eruption from another has been a chore as most volcanic deposits are scattered across vast landscapes in a chaotic jumble.

2020 June 18, Matt Kaplan, “Yellowstone’s supervolcano is a hot spot, but it may be calming down”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-04-21:

A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.

(geology, planetology) The surface manifestation of a plume of molten material that rises from deep in a celestial body's mantle.

熱點 /热点

surface manifestation of a plume that rises from deep in a celestial body’s mantle


Hubble constant

After Edwin Powell Hubble, American astronomer

(astronomy) A number that expresses the rate of expansion of the universe; the velocity at which a distant object is receding from the Earth divided by its distance; its reciprocal determines the age of the universe.


Hubble law

(astronomy) A law stating that the velocity at which a distant object is receding from the Earth (as measured by its redshift) is proportional to its distance; observational evidence for an expanding universe.


coronal

en-adj

coronal (comparative more coronal, superlative most coronal)

more coronal (comparative)
most coronal (superlative)

From Middle English coronal, from Anglo-Norman coronal, from Latin corōnālis (“related to a crown”), from corōna (“crown”).

The coronal light during the eclipse is faint.

1878, William de Wiveleslie Abney, A Treatise on Photography:

Coronal holes are darker, cooler regions of the sun's atmosphere, or corona, containing little solar material. In these gaps, magnetic field lines whip out into the solar wind rather than looping back to the sun's surface. Coronal holes can affect space weather, as they send solar particles streaming off the sun about three times faster than the slower wind unleashed elsewhere from the sun's atmosphere, according to a description from NASA.

2013 July 28, Megan Gannon, “Spacecraft Sees Giant 'Hole' In the Sun”, in news.yahoo.com, retrieved 2013-07-29:

(astronomy) Relating to the corona of a star.


Triangulum

(astronomy) An autumn constellation of the northern sky whose brightest three stars form a small triangle. The constellation lies near Perseus, between Aries and Andromeda.

(astronomy) The Triangulum Galaxy, a relatively nearby spiral galaxy to the Milky Way; M33.


Gabrielle

The main supporting character in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–2001) was the inspiration for the dwarf planet's moon's nickname, due to the dwarf planet itself being nicknamed Xena.

(astronomy) a nickname for Dysnomia (the moon of the dwarf planet Eris, itself nicknamed Xena)


Fenrir

Fenrir
Fenrir (moon)
Poetic Edda
Prose Edda

Borrowed from Old Norse Fenrir (“fen-dweller”), Fenrisúlfr (“Fenris wolf”).


Stentor

From Latin Stentōr, from Ancient Greek Στέντωρ (Sténtōr).

(astronomy) The Jovian asteroid 2146 Stentor.


eccentricity

en-noun

eccentricity (countable and uncountable, plural eccentricities)

excentricitat

a ratio between distances in a conic section

(astronomy) The eccentricity of the conic section (usually an ellipse) defined by the orbit of a given object around a reference object (such as that of a planet around the sun).


kinetic temperature

kinetic temperature (plural kinetic temperatures)

(astronomy) a measure of the energy of motion possessed by a substance; especially a function of the root mean square velocity of the molecules of a gas


nutation

nutation (countable and uncountable, plural nutations)

1610s, from Latin nūtātiō (“nodding”), from nūtō (“I nod”). Compare mutation.

(astronomy) Any of several irregularities in the precession of the equinoxes caused by varying torque applied to the Earth by the Sun and the Moon.


chromosphere

(astronomy) The faint pink extension of a star's atmospheric envelope between the corona and the photosphere

chromosfeer

the faint pink extension of a star's atmospheric envelope


Cepheid variable

Cepheid variable (plural Cepheid variables)

From Latin Delta Cephei, the first such star identified. From Cepheus, the name of the constellation in which such stars were first discovered. From being a star with variable brightness.

intrinsic brightness
intrinsic brightness

(astronomy) A radially pulsating (expanding and contracting) variable star with a regular period and known relationship between period and intrinsic brightness.


Capricorn

/ˈkæp.ɹɪˌkɔːn/

/ˈkæp.ɹɪˌkɔɹn/


Pleiades

From Latin Pleiades, from Ancient Greek Πλειάδες (Pleiádes). In the astronomical sense, displaced Old English seofonstierre (literally “the seven stars”).

ncog

(astronomy) An open cluster of hot blue stars in the constellation Taurus, and the most easily visible such cluster from Earth.


Pollux

From Latin Pollūx, from Ancient Greek Πολυδεύκης (Poludeúkēs).

(astronomy) A star in the constellation Gemini; beta (β) Geminorum.


Alrisha

Borrowed from Arabic الرِّشَاء (ar-rišāʔ, literally “the cord, rope”).

bor

(astronomy) A binary star in the constellation Pisces; alpha (α) Piscium.


Zubenelgenubi

From Arabic الزُّبَانَى الْجَنُوبِيّ (az-zubānā l-janūbiyy, “the Southern Claw”).

der

الزُّبَانَى الْجَنُوبِيّ

(astronomy) A binary star in the constellation Libra; alpha (α) Librae.


Zubeneschamali

Arabic الزُّبَانَى الشَّمَالِيّ (az-zubānā š-šamāliyy, “the Northern Claw”).

uder

الزُّبَانَى الشَّمَالِيّ

(astronomy) The brightest star in the constellation Libra; beta (β) Librae.

اَلزُّبَانَى اَلشَّمَالِيّ

second brightest star in the constellation Libra


Hyades

From Middle English Hyades, Yades, from Latin Hyades, from Ancient Greek Ὑάδες (Huádes), nominative and vocative plural of Ὑ̄̆ᾰ́ς (Hū̆ắs, “one of the Hyades”).

(astronomy) An open cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus, and the nearest visible such cluster to Earth.


radiometric magnitude

en-noun

radiometric magnitude (plural radiometric magnitudes)

(astronomy) The magnitude of a star as determined by radiometry.


Ara

(astronomy) A constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble an altar.


Altair

/ˈɔːltɛə(ɹ)/

/ˌɑltaɪˈɪə(ɹ)/

From the Arabic اَلنَّسْر اَلطَّائِر (an-nasr aṭ-ṭāʔir, “the flying eagle”), from نَسْر (nasr, “eagle”) + طَائِر (ṭāʔir, “flying”).

der

اَلنَّسْر اَلطَّائِر

af

(astronomy) The brightest star in the constellation Aquila; Alpha (α) Aquilae. It is the twelfth brightest star in the sky, and forms one corner of the Summer Triangle.


Arcturus

/ɑɹkˈtjʊəɹəs/

When humanity activated the Charon Mass Relay in 2149, it led to Arcturus, 36 light years from Sol, Earth's sun. Arcturus is the third brightest star seen from Earth. It is an ancient red giant from the generation born before Sol.

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Stations: Arcturus Station Codex entry:

(astronomy) A bright yellow-orange star in the constellation Boötes; Alpha (α) Boötis. It is the fourth-brightest star in the night sky.


Apus

Named by Dutch explorers Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman between 1595 and 1597. From Latin apūs, from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + πούς (poús, “foot”); early specimens of birds of paradise obtained by Europeans had had their feet removed during traditional taxidermy, and were consequently believed by Europeans to lack feet—see Paradisaea apoda on Wikipedia.Wikipedia.

(astronomy) A constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble a bird of paradise.


Antlia

Borrowed from Latin antlia (“pump for drawing water”), from Ancient Greek ἀντλία (antlía, “bilge water”).
Originally named Antlia pneumatica (air pump) in the 18th century by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille.

uder

(astronomy) A faint winter constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a pump. The common English name is "Air pump".


hunter's moon

* This moon is said to provide extra light for hunting.
* hunter + -'s + moon

(astronomy) The full moon after the harvest moon.


Lenten Moon

(astronomy) The last full moon of winter by a tropical year.


draconitic month

en-noun

draconitic month (plural draconitic months)

(astronomy) the interval between the moon's successive passing of the same moving node.


DES

DES (countable and uncountable, plural DESes or DESs)

(astronomy) Initialism of Dark Energy Survey, (an astronomy project)

(astronomy) Initialism of Deep Ecliptic Survey, (an astronomy project)


NEA

(astronomy) Initialism of near-Earth asteroid.


Proxima Centauri

From Latin proximus (“nearest, next”) and centaurī (“of the constellation Centaurus”).

(astronomy) A red dwarf star, part of the Alpha Centauri system and the nearest star to Earth's solar system.


infrared astronomy

electromagnetic spectrum
electromagnetic spectrum

(astronomy) the astronomical observation and study of objects, cooler than most stars, using the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum


Boötes

From Latin Boōtēs, the constellation, from Ancient Greek Βοώτης (Boṓtēs).

when my name and honor ſhall be ſpread,
As far as Boreas claps his braſen wings,
Or faire Botëes ſends his cheerefull light.

c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:

(astronomy) A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, called the “bear-guard” or the “herdsman”. It includes the fourth-brightest star in the night sky, Arcturus.


Mira

Named by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1662, from Latin mīrus (“wonderful, surprising”).

The favoured explanation, adopted by Maraldi, was based on the assumption that the star was rotating and composed of two different parts, a bright and a dark region; if so, it might only be visible when the bright region turned towards Earth. Whatever the explanation, Mira had puzzled the astronomers because of its random character and the irregular periods between its observations.

2008, Helge Kragh, The Moon that Wasn't: The Saga of Venus' Spurious Satellite, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 80:

(astronomy) A binary star in the constellation Cetus, Omicron (ο) Ceti. The system contains a variable red giant and a white dwarf. Its brightness varies from a magnitude 2 at its brightest to a magnitude 10 at its dimmest.


Cepheus

(astronomy) A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, located between Draco and Cassiopeia and representing the king Cepheus from Greek myth. It contains the star Alderamin.


Cassiopeia

kăs′ē-ō-pē′yə

From Latin Cassiopēia, from Ancient Greek Κασσιόπεια (Kassiópeia) or Κασσιόπη (Kassiópē).

(astronomy) A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky representing Queen Cassiopeia from Greek myth, lying between the constellations Cepheus and Perseus.


Camelopardalis

First recorded by the astronomer Jakob Bartsch in 1624, but probably created earlier by Petrus Plancius. From Latin camēlopardalis (“a camelopard, giraffe”).

uder

(astronomy) A faint circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a giraffe.

Camelopardalis
Jakob Bartsch
Petrus Plancius


spectral class

en-noun

spectral class (plural spectral classes)

(astronomy) A classification of stars depending on their spectra and luminosity; usually one of O, B, A, F, G, K, M.


spectrogram

/ˈspɛktɹəˌɡɹæm/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-spectrogram.wav

spektrogrammi

visual representation of spectrum of sound

(astronomy) A visual representation of the spectrum of a celestial body's radiation.

spektrogram

visual representation of spectrum of radiation


radial velocity

radial velocity (plural radial velocities)

Motion of an object toward or away from an observer.

(astronomy) Motion of a star toward or away from the earth.


zodiacal light

I also, this morning gave attention to the stars as seen through the Zodiacal Light, and found, even to 4ʰ 30ᵐ, when the effulgent Light below the zigzag lines is very strong, that with the naked eye I could readily make out stars of the 6th magnitude within the effulgent Light; [...]

1856, George Jones, “No. 271. December 30th, 1854: Morning.”, in Observations on the Zodiacal Light, from April 2, 1853, to April 22, 1855, Made Chiefly on Board the United States Steam-Frigate Mississippi, during Her Late Cruise in Eastern Seas, and Her Voyage Homeward: With Conclusions from the Data thus Obtained (Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, […]; III; 33d Congress, 2d Session, Senate Ex. Doc. no. 79), Washington, D.C.: Beverley Tucker, senate printer, →OCLC, page 542:

Westward I saw the zodiacal light mingling with the yellow brilliance of the evening star.

1896, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “The Thing in the Forest”, in The Island of Doctor Moreau (Heinemann’s Colonial Library of Popular Fiction; 52), London: William Heinemann, →OCLC; republished as The Island of Doctor Moreau: A Possibility, New York, N.Y.: Stone & Kimball, 1896, →OCLC, pages 81–82:

(astronomy) A soft glow of white light seen in the sky along the ecliptic in an elongated triangular form with its base being on the horizon, particularly in the tropics.

اَلْفَجْر اَلْكَاذِب

soft glow of white light extending upward from the horizon along the ecliptic, particularly in the tropics


interstellar extinction

(astronomy) the dimming of light from the stars due to absorption and scattering from dust in the interstellar medium