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natural gas

(Encyclopedia)natural gas, natural mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons found issuing from the ground or obtained from specially driven wells. The composition of natural gas varies in different localities. Its chief com...

natural law

(Encyclopedia)natural law, theory that some laws are basic and fundamental to human nature and are discoverable by human reason without reference to specific legislative enactments or judicial decisions. Natural la...

natural rights

(Encyclopedia)natural rights, political theory that maintains that an individual enters into society with certain basic rights and that no government can deny these rights. The modern idea of natural rights grew ou...

Communications Satellite Corporation

(Encyclopedia)Communications Satellite Corporation (Comsat), organization incorporated (1962) by an act of Congress to establish a commercial system of international communications using artificial satellites. Alth...

Charon, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Charon, in astronomy, the natural satellite, or moon, of Pluto. ...

Ganymede, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Ganymede gănˈēmēdˌ [key], in astronomy, one of the moons, or natural satellites, of Jupiter; the largest natural satellite in the solar system, it is larger than the planet Mercury. ...

Dysnomia

(Encyclopedia)Dysnomia, in astronomy, the moon, or natural satellite, of Eris. ...

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