(Encyclopedia) occultationoccultationŏkˌəltāˈshən [key], in astronomy, eclipse of one celestial body by another, e.g., when the moon lies between a star and the earth. Occultations of stars by the…
(Encyclopedia) SeleneSelenesəlēˈnē [key], in Greek mythology and mythology, moon goddess; daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia and sister of the sun god Helios. There was no known moon cult…
On November 14, 2016, the world will experience its largest supermoon since January 1948. AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert Related Links Perpetual Calendar It isn't…
(Encyclopedia) ephemeris time (ET), astronomical time defined by the orbital motions of the earth, moon, and planets. The earth does not rotate with uniform speed, so the solar day is an imprecise…
(Encyclopedia) Shepard, Alan Bartlett, Jr., 1923–98, American astronaut, b. East Derry, N.H., grad. Annapolis, 1944. He served on a destroyer during World War II and later had extensive experience as…
(Encyclopedia) radar astronomy, application of radar to the determination of distances and planetary features within the solar system, such as rotation rates. A short burst of radio waves is…
(Encyclopedia) Hipparchus, fl. 2d cent. b.c., Greek astronomer, b. Nicaea, Bithynia. He is the first systematic astronomer of whom there are records. He made his observations chiefly on the island of…
THE BIRTH OF THE SOLAR SYSTEMPLANETSMOONSOur tiny corner of the Universe is dominated by a star we call the Sun. Trapped in the gravity of the Sun is a huge family of bodies – PLANETS…
