Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Lovell, Sir Bernard

(Encyclopedia)Lovell, Sir Bernard (Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell), 1913–2012, English radio astronomer, b. Oldland Common, Gloucestershire, England, Ph.D. Univ. of Bristol, 1936. He was a member of the cosmic...

Kitt Peak National Observatory

(Encyclopedia)Kitt Peak National Observatory, astronomical observatory located southwest of Tucson, Ariz.; it was founded in 1958 under contract with the National Science Foundation and is administered by the Assoc...

antenna

(Encyclopedia)antenna ăntĕnˈə [key], in electronics, system of wires or other conductors used to transmit or receive radio or other electromagnetic waves (see radio); sometimes called an aerial. The idea of usi...

Leo, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the z...

Mimosa, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Mimosa or Beta Crucis bāˈtə kro͞oˈsĭs [key], bright star in the constellation Crux (Southern Cross); 1992 position R.A. 12h47.3m, Dec. −59°39′. It is sometimes called Becrux, from its Bayer...

Regulus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Regulus rĕgˈyələs [key], brightest star in the constellation Leo; Bayer designation Alpha Leonis; 1992 position R.A. 10h08m, Dec. +12°00′. A bluish-white main-sequence star of spectral class B7...

constellation, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Constellations: Southern sky CE5 Constellations: Southern sky CE5 Constellations: Southern sky constellation, in common usage, group of stars that appear to form a configuration in the...

corona, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)corona, luminous envelope surrounding the sun, outside the chromosphere. Its density is less than one billionth that of the earth's atmosphere. The corona is visible only at the time of totality durin...

Algol, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Algol ălˈgŏl [key], famous variable star in the constellation Perseus; Bayer designation β Persei; 1992 position R.A. 3h07.7m, Dec. +40°55′. Algol's variation in apparent magnitude, from 2.06 t...

Pollux, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Pollux, brightest star in the constellation Gemini; Bayer designation Beta Geminorum; 1992 position R.A. 7h44.8m, Dec. +28°03′. An orange giant of spectral class K0 III, it is the nearest giant sta...