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color index

(Encyclopedia)color index, in astronomy, difference in an object's brightness as recorded between any two well-defined bands of the electromagnetic spectrum by using optical filters of different colors. If blue and...

United States, Great Seal of the

(Encyclopedia)United States, Great Seal of the, official impression that validates a United States government document. It was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1782 and, with only minor changes in the design,...

Sèvres ware

(Encyclopedia)Sèvres ware, porcelain made in France by the royal (now national) potteries established (1745) by Louis XV at Vincennes, moved (1756) to Sèvres after changing hands. Before 1770 it was a soft-paste ...

Fischer von Erlach, Johann Bernhard

(Encyclopedia)Fischer von Erlach, Johann Bernhard yōˈhän bĕrnˈhärt fĭshˈər fən ērˈläkh [key], 1656–1723, the leading Austrian baroque architect. After studying in Rome he returned to Vienna. In 1705 ...

Hertzsprung, Ejnar

(Encyclopedia)Hertzsprung, Ejnar īˈnär hĕrtsˈspro͞ong [key], 1873–1967, Danish astronomer. Although trained as a chemical engineer, Hertzsprung made his career in astronomy, specializing in exacting photogr...

Marville, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Marville, Charles, 1813–79, pioneering French photographer, b. Charles-François Bossu, name changed c.1831. An illustrator who drew mainly landscapes and urban scenes for use in popular books and m...

Page, Larry

(Encyclopedia)Page, Larry (Lawrence Edward Page), 1973–, American business executive and computer scientist, b. East Lansing, Mich., grad Univ. of Michigan (B.S.E., 1995), Stanford (M.S., 1998). While a doctoral ...

Orion Nebula

(Encyclopedia)Orion Nebula, bright diffuse nebula in the constellation Orion; also known as the Great Nebula of Orion and cataloged as M42 or NGC 1976. It is located near the middle of the “sword” hanging from ...

bent grass

(Encyclopedia)bent grass, any species of the genus Agrostis of the family Poaceae (grass family), chiefly slender, delicate plants native to cool climates. Many are used for forage or lawns. Important species natur...

Santos-Dumont, Alberto

(Encyclopedia)Santos-Dumont, Alberto älbĕrˈto͝o sänˈto͝ozh-dümôNˈ [key], 1873–1932, Brazilian aeronaut. The son of a wealthy coffee grower, he was a flamboyant bon vivant and lived in France from 1891 t...