An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

Prefix meaning one thousandth (10^-3).

From Fr., from L. mille "thiusand."

Mili-, loan from Fr.

One thousandth of a bar; a unit of atmospheric pressure. The average atmospheric pressure at sea level is 1.01325 bars or 1013.25 mb.

→ milli-; → bar.

A precision experiment for measuring the → electron charge. By studying the falling speed of small charged droplets in the gravitational field of the Earth subjected to an adjustable electric field, Millikan (1909) was able to demonstrate conclusively the discrete nature of electric charge, and moreover measure the charge of an individual electron.

Robert Andrews Millikan (1868-1953); → experiment.

Microwaves with wavelengths between 1 and 10 millimeter, corresponding to frequencies between 300 GHz to 30 GHz. → millimeter-wave astronomy.

→ milli-; → meter; → wave.

That part of radio astronomy which uses electromagnetic waves in the range 1-10 millimeter to study various components of the Universe, in particular the chemistry of interstellar matter.

→ millimeter wave; → astronomy.

A thousand thousand (10⁶).

O.Fr. million, from It. millione, literally "a great thousand," augmentative of mille "thousand," from L. mille.

Milyon, Loan from Fr.

A type of pulsar that spins around its axis every few thousands of a second. The prototype 1937+21, discovered in 1982, has a period of 1.56 milliseconds; i.e. it spins more than 600 times per second, the fastest so far found (Backer et al. 1982, Nature 300, 615). These pulsars are distinguished from typical pulsars by the extreme stability of their rotation period. It is thought that they have been rejuvenated by a "spin-up process" involving the accumulation of matter from a companion star. → recycled pulsar.

→ milli-; → second; → pulsar.

One thousands of a → sievert.

→ milli- + → sievert.

A design of → radio interferometer made of two lines of → antennae at right angles to one another.

Named after the Australian engineer and astronomer Bernard Yarnton Mills (1920-2011; see R.H. Frater et al. 2013, arXiv:1306.6371); → cross.

Same as → Milne Universe.

→ Milne Universe; → cosmological; → model.

A model of the → Universe which is devoid of matter and where the → space-time is → open (Ω_M = 0, Ω_R = 0, Ω_Λ = 0, k = -1). The Universe will expand at a constant rate for ever. See also → empty Universe, → de Sitter Universe.

Put forward by Edward Arthur Milne (1896-1950), a British astrophysicist, who introduced the → cosmological principle; → cosmological; → model.

The approximation of a stellar atmosphere with a plane parallel grey atmosphere in radiative equilibrium. It is assumed that a spectral is formed in such a way that the ratio of the line absorption coefficient to the continuous absorption coefficient is constant with depth.

→ Milne Universe; Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-1944), prominent British astrophysicist; → approximation.

The seventh of Saturn's known satellites. It is 392 km in diameter and orbits Saturn at a mean distance of 185,520 km. Mimas' low density (1.17) indicates that it is composed mostly of water ice with only a small amount of rock. The surface is saturated with impact craters, dominated by the largest one measuring 130 km across, known as Herschel. Mimas was discovered in 1789 by Herschel.

In Gk. mythology, Mimas was one of the Gigantes slain by Hephaestus, the god of fire, volcanism, smiths and craftsmen, with barrage of red-hot metal.

1) The human faculty to which are ascribed thought, feeling, etc; often regarded as an immaterial part of a person (Dictionary.com).
2) Psychology: The totality of conscious and unconscious → mental processes and activities (Dictionary.com).

M.E. mynd(e), from O.E. gemynd "memory, remembrance; thought, purpose" (cf. Gothic muns "thought," munan "to think;" ON minni "mind;" Ger. Minne (archaic) "love," originally "memory"), from PIE root *men- "think, remember;" cf. Pers. mân, man "mind, thought;" Av. man- "to think;" Skt. matih "thought," Gk. mania "madness," mentio "remembrance;" Lith. mintis "thought, idea," O.C.S. mineti "to believe, think," Russ. pamjat "memory."

Ment, from Mid.Pers. mênitan "to think," Av. mainyeite "he thinks;" O.Pers. man- "to think," maniyaiy "I think," Ardumaniš- (proper noun) "upright-minded," Haxāmaniš- (proper noun, Hellenized Achaemenes, founder of the Achaemenian dynasty) "having the mind of a friend;" Av. mân- "to think," manah- "mind, thinking, thought; purpose, intention," mainyu- "mind, mentality, mental force, inspiration," cf. Sogdian mân "mind;" Skt. man- "to think," mánye "I think," manyate "he thinks," mánas- "intelligence, understanding, conscience;" Gk. mainomai "to be angry," mania "madness," mantis "one who divines, prophet;" L. mens "mind, understanding, reason," memini "I remember," mentio "remembrance;" Lith. mintis "thought, idea;" Goth. muns "thought," munan "to think;" Ger. Minne "love," originally "loving memory;" O.E. gemynd "memory, thinking, intention;" PIE base *men- "to think, mind; spiritual activity."

A naturally occurring inorganic solid. The internal crystalline structure of a mineral is controlled by its elemental composition.

From M.L. minerale "something mined," from neuter of mineralis "pertaining to mines," from minera "mine."

Kâni "mineral," from kân "mine," from kandan "to dig" (Mid.Pers. kandan "to dig;" O.Pers. kan- "to dig," akaniya- "it was dug;" Av. kan- "to dig," uskən- "to dig out" (→ ex- for prefix us-); cf. Skt. khan- "to dig," khanati "he digs").

A black hole of mass as low as 10^-6 gram supposed to have formed in the early Universe following the Big Bang event. Same as primordial black hole.

Mini a shortening of → minimum; → black hole.

The least value attained (or attainable) by a function; the opposite of maximum.

From L. minimum "smallest" (thing), neuter of minimus "smallest," superlative of → minor "smaller."

Kaminé, from kamin superlative of kam "little, few; deficient, wanting; scarce" (Mid.Pers. kam "little, small, few," O.Pers./Av. kamna- "small, few." Keh "small, little, slender" (related to kâstan, kâhidan "to decrease, lessen, diminish," from Mid.Pers. kâhitan, kâstan, kâhênitan "to decrease, diminish, lessen;" Av. kasu- "small, little;" Proto-Iranian *kas- "to be small, diminish, lessen") + -é nuance suffix.

Same as → angle of minimum deviation.

→ minimum; → deviation.

The minimum distance between the paths of two orbiting objects around a → primary. Such distance between an object and Earth is called Earth MOID.

→ minimum; → orbit; → intersection; → distance.

1) A → quasar of lesser power compared to ordinary quasars hypothesized to exist at early cosmic times. According to some models, the Universe was reionized by a population of miniquasars powered by → intermediate-mass black holes.
2) Same as → microquasar.

Mini a shortening of → minimum; → quasar.