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Galle, Johann Gottfried

(Encyclopedia)Galle, Johann Gottfried yōˈhän gôtˈfrēt gäˈlə [key], 1812–1910, German astronomer. He is noted for his discovery of the planet Neptune, Sept. 23, 1846, by following the guidance of calculat...

planetary science

(Encyclopedia)planetary science or planetology, study of planets and planetary systems as a whole. Planetary science applies the theories and methods of traditional disciplines such as astronomy, geology, physics, ...

silica

(Encyclopedia)silica or silicon dioxide, chemical compound, SiO2. It is insoluble in water, slightly soluble in alkalies, and soluble in dilute hydrofluoric acid. Pure silica is colorless to white. It occurs in sev...

K'ang-hsi

(Encyclopedia)K'ang-hsi käng shē [key], 1654–1722, 2d emperor of the Ch'ing dynasty of China (1661–1722). He extended Manchu control and promoted learning in the arts and sciences. K'ang-hsi conquered the feu...

Muses

(Encyclopedia)Muses, in Greek religion and mythology, patron goddesses of the arts, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Originally only three, they were later considered as nine. Calliope was the Muse of epic poetry a...

Peralta Barnuevo, Pedro de

(Encyclopedia)Peralta Barnuevo, Pedro de pāˈᵺrō ᵺā pārälˈtä bärnwāˈvō [key], 1664–1743, Peruvian writer. Although his major literary interests were drama and poetry, he also wrote on astronomy, ma...

Thoth

(Encyclopedia)Thoth thŏth, tōt [key], in Egyptian religion, god of wisdom and magic. A patron of learning and of the arts, he was credited with many inventions, including writing, geometry, and astronomy. Perhaps...

Ulugh-Beg

(Encyclopedia)Ulugh-Beg or Ulug-Beg both: o͞oˈlo͞og bĕg [key], 1394–1449, Timurid ruler and astronomer. The grandson of Timur (or Tamerlane), he succeeded to the Timurid domain in 1447. A patron of the arts a...

Benedetti, Giovanni Battista

(Encyclopedia)Benedetti, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēsˈtä bānādĕtˈtē [key], 1530–90, Italian mathematician and physicist. An important forerunner of Galileo, Benedetti had diverse interests, inc...

Brahic, André Fernand

(Encyclopedia)Brahic, André Fernand, 1942–2016, French astrophysicist, b. Paris. He was introduced to astrophysics by Evry Schatzman, a leading French theoretician, and obtained his doctorate from the Univ. of P...