Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

galactic coordinate system

(Encyclopedia)galactic coordinate system, astronomical coordinate system in which the principal axis is the galactic equator (the intersection of the plane of the Milky Way with the celestial sphere) and the refere...

Independent Treasury System

(Encyclopedia)Independent Treasury System, in U.S. history, system for the retaining of government funds in the Treasury and its subtreasuries independently of the national banking and financial systems. In one for...

Federal Reserve System

(Encyclopedia)Federal Reserve System, central banking system of the United States. Established in 1913, it began to operate in Nov., 1914. Its setup, although somewhat altered since its establishment, particularly ...

ecliptic coordinate system

(Encyclopedia)ecliptic coordinate system, an astronomical coordinate system in which the principal coordinate axis is the ecliptic, the apparent path of the sun through the heavens. The ecliptic poles are the two p...

life support system

(Encyclopedia)life support system: see artificial life support; Life Support for Human Spaceflight under space science. ...

Browse by Subject