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Schwabe, Samuel Heinrich
(Encyclopedia)Schwabe, Samuel Heinrich zäˈmo͞oĕl hīnˈrĭkh shväbˈə [key], 1789–1875, German apothecary and amateur astronomer. In the hope of discovering a new planet between Mercury and the sun, he made...escape velocity
(Encyclopedia)escape velocity, the velocity a body must be given in order to escape the gravitational hold of some other larger body, e.g., the earth, moon, or sun. A body given less than the escape velocity will f...Tropic of Capricorn
(Encyclopedia)Tropic of Capricorn, parallel of latitude at 23°30′ south of the equator; it is the southern boundary of the tropics. This parallel marks the farthest point south at which the sun can be seen direc...orientation
(Encyclopedia)orientation, in architecture, the disposition of the parts of a building with reference to the points of the compass. From remote antiquity the traditional belief in the efficacy of religious ceremoni...black hole
(Encyclopedia)black hole, in astronomy, celestial object of such extremely intense gravity that it attracts everything near it and in some instances prevents everything, including light, from escaping. The term was...Marquis, Don
(Encyclopedia)Marquis, Don (Donald Robert Perry Marquis) märˈkwĭs [key], 1878–1937, American author, b. Walnut, Ill. In 1912 he began the humorous column “The Sun Dial” in the New York Sun and later conduc...Fraunhofer lines
(Encyclopedia)Fraunhofer lines frounˈhôfər [key]: see sun. ...Lalande, Joseph Jérôme Lefrançais de
(Encyclopedia)Lalande, Joseph Jérôme Lefrançais de läläNdˈ [key], 1732–1807, French astronomer. Under the direction of the French Academy of Science, he went to Berlin in 1751 to make observations on the p...sidereal period
(Encyclopedia)sidereal period, in astronomy, length of time a body takes to complete an orbit relative to the fixed stars. See sidereal time. ...eider, in zoology
(Encyclopedia)eider: see duck.Browse by Subject
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