Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

earth, in geology and astronomy

(Encyclopedia)CE5 A. Cross section of the earth, showing its shells B. Detailed cross section of the crust and upper mantle: The lithosphere consists of the hard rock in the crust and upper mantle, lying above t...

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

(Encyclopedia)National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), federal observatory for radio astronomy, founded in 1956 and operated under contract with the National Science Foundation by Associated Universities, Inc.,...

atlas, in geography

(Encyclopedia)atlas, in geography, collection of maps or charts. It usually includes data on various features of a country, e.g., its topography, natural resources, climate, and population, as well as its agricultu...

Typhon

(Encyclopedia)Typhon tīfēˈəs [key], in Greek mythology, fierce and monstrous son of Gaea. He was the father of Echidna—a monster half woman and half dragon—and of Cerberus, Hydra, the Sphinx, and the Chimer...

In

(Encyclopedia)In, symbol for the element indium. ...

Vries, Adriaen de

(Encyclopedia)Vries, Adriaen de äˈdrēän də vrēs [key], c.1560–c.1626, Dutch sculptor. Having studied in Florence under Giovanni Bologna, he carried into Bohemia and Germany the influence of the Italian Rena...

sting

(Encyclopedia)sting, in zoology, organ found in bees, many wasps, some ants, and in scorpions and sting rays, used defensively as well as to kill or paralyze prey. In the bee and the wasp the venom is produced by g...

Ídhra

(Encyclopedia)Ídhra hīˈdrə [key], island, 21 sq mi (54 sq km), SE Greece, in the Aegean Sea, off the Argolís peninsula of the Peloponnesus. It is mostly barren and rocky. Ídhra town is the center of populatio...

Young, Charles Augustus

(Encyclopedia)Young, Charles Augustus, 1834–1908, American astronomer, b. Hanover, N.H., grad. Dartmouth, 1853. He discovered the reversing layer of the solar atmosphere and proved the gaseous nature of the sun's...

Browse by Subject