(Encyclopedia) CavendishCavendishkăvˈəndĭsh [key], pseud. of Henry Jones, 1831–99, English card game expert. Jones studied medicine, practiced in London, and retired in 1868. He became a leading…
(Encyclopedia) supernova, a massive star in the latter stages of stellar evolution that suddenly contracts and then explodes, increasing its energy output as much as a billionfold. Supernovas are the…
(Encyclopedia) blink microscope, in astronomy, device for determining a change in position or magnitude (brightness) of a star relative to other stars in the background. Two photographs of the same…
(Encyclopedia) mass-luminosity relation, in astronomy, law stating that the luminosity of a star is proportional to some power of the mass of the star. More massive stars are in general more luminous…
(Encyclopedia) RigelRigelrīˈjəl [key], bright star in the constellation Orion; Bayer designation Beta Orionis; 1992 position R.A. 5h14.2m, Dec. −8°13′. A huge, blue supergiant of spectral class B8 Ia…
(Encyclopedia) CarinaCarinakərēˈnə [key] [Lat.,=the keel], southern constellation, representing the keel of the ancient constellation Argo Navis, or Ship of the Argonauts. Carina contains Canopus,…
(Encyclopedia) Lewinsky scandalLewinsky scandalləwĭnˈskē [key], sensation that enveloped the presidency of Bill Clinton in 1998–99, leading to his impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives and…
(Encyclopedia) Outer Barrier, series of sandy barrier islands or offshore bars, extending c.75 mi (120 km) along the south shore of Long Island, SE N.Y., from Rockaway Beach at the west to the east…
(Encyclopedia) PolarisPolarispōlârˈĭs [key] or North Star, star nearest the north celestial pole (see equatorial coordinate system). It is in the constellation Ursa Minor (see Ursa Major and Ursa…
(Encyclopedia) planetary system, a star and all the celestial bodies bound to it by gravity, especially planets and their natural satellites. Until the last decade of the 20th cent., the only…
