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

A relatively large bundle of → rays of light. See also → pencil of light.

→ beam; → light.

A narrow unidirectional flow of particles

→ beam; → particle.

A partially reflecting mirror which permits a part of the light beam to pass through and reflects the rest.

→ beam; splitter, from to split, from M.Du. splitten, from P.Gmc. *spl(e)it-, PIE *(s)plei- "to split, splice."

Fâqgar, from fâq "split, breach, division" + tâbé→ beam.

In single dish radio astronomy, any technique which forms the difference of signals received from two (or more) pointings on the sky without physically moving the main reflector of the antenna. By rapidly forming differences between sky positions that do and do not contain astronomical sources, beam switching can minimize the corruption of spectral baselines by non-idealities in the instrumental frequency response, or of continuum observations by atmospheric fluctuations.

→ beam; → switching.

The angle between the two directions in the main beam at which the power response has fallen to half its maximum value. → beam efficiency.

From → beam + → width.

Tâbe-pahnâ, from tâbé, → beam, + pahnâ "width," → broad.

The periodic and alternatively strengthening and weakening of two waves of similar frequencies when they interfere with one another. In particular, the soft and loud sounds created by the interference of two sound waves of similar frequencies.

M.E. beten, from O.E. beaten, from P.Gmc. *bautan; IER *bhau- "to strike."

Zaneš, noun from zan- present tense stem of zadan "to beat, strike" + -š verbal noun suffix. Zadan from Mid.Pers. zatan, žatan; O.Pers./Av. jan-, gan- "to strike, hit, smite, kill" (jantar- "smiter"); cf. Skt. han- "to strike, beat" (hantar- "smiter, killer"); Gk. theinein "to strike;" L. fendere "to strike, push;" Gmc. *gundjo "war, battle;" PIE *g^when- "to strike, kill."

A Cepheid variable in which two or more almost identical periods of variability pass into and out of phase with each other, producing periodic amplitude fluctuations in their light curves. Beat periods are typically about 2 hours.

→ beat; → Cepheid.

One of the frequencies that results from the combination of two waves of slightly different frquencies. A beat frequency is equal to the absolute value of the difference between the two frequencies. An unknown frequency can be determined by beating it with a reference frequency. More specifically, when the two frequencies are superimposed, the phase difference will change with time and wave interference alternate between constructive and destructive. The alterations of intensity brings about a beat frequency.

→ beat; → frequency.

A system for estimating and reporting wind speeds which has 13 standardized categories and associated descriptions. The Beaufort scale ranges from 0 for complete calm to 12 for a cyclone. In this scale, the wind speed (in km/h) equals 3B^1.5, where B is the Beaufort number of the wind. The scale was originally devised for use at sea but has subsequently been modified for use over land.

Named after Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857), who introduced the first version of the system in 1805; → scale.

A combination of qualities that pleases the mind.

M.E. be(a)ute, from O.Fr. beautez, beltet "beauty, seductiveness, beautiful person" from V.L. bellitatem (nominative bellitas) "state of being handsome," from L. bellus "pretty, charming."

Zibâyi, from zibâ "beautiful," related to zib "beauty, elegance, ornament," zibidan "to suit, to adorn."

A large, amphibious rodent of the genus Castor, having sharp incisors, webbed hind feet, and a flattened tail, noted for its ability to dam streams with trees, branches, etc. (Dictionary.com).

M.E. bever, O.E. beofor, befor; cognate with Ger. Biber; Av. bawra-, bawri- "beaver" (Mid.Pers. bawrak "beaver"); Skt. babhrav- "reddish-brown," babhrus- "mangoose," L. fiber "beaver" (Fr. bièvre "River of Beavers"); O.H.G. biorr; Lith. bêbrus; Rus. bobr "beaver."

Bidastar "beaver," of unknown origin.

For the reason that; on account of.

M.E. bi cause "by cause," from O.E. bi "by" (akin to Du. bij, O.H.G. bi, Ger. bei, Goth. bi) + → cause.

Zirâ, variants azirâ, zirâk, azirâk, from Mid.Pers. êt rây cê or ê(t) râd cê "because," literally "this reason why;" from êd "this" (O.Pers. aita; Av. aēta "this;" cf. Skt. etá); rây, → reason; cê "what" (O.Pers/Av. ci- "what, any," collateral stem to ka- "who?, what?;" cf. Skt. ka-; Gk. po-; L. quo-; E. what, who; PIE *qwos/*qwes).

A compact infrared source in the Orion molecular cloud (OMC-1). It is thought to be a very dusty compact H II region surrounding a young B0 or B1 star.

After Eric Becklin (1940-), and Gerry Neugebauer (1932-) who discovered the object in 1967; → object.

To come, change, or grow to be.

M.E. becumen; O.E. becuman "happen, come about," also "meet with, arrive;" akin to Du. bekomen, O.H.G. biqueman "obtain," Ger. bekommen, Goth. biquiman; from be- a prefix denoting several meanings, and → come.

Šodan "to become, to go, to pass, to change," from Mid.Pers. šudan, šaw- "to go;" Av. š(ii)auu-, šiyav- "to move, go," šiyavati "goes," šyaoθna- "activity; action; doing, working;" O.Pers. šiyav- "to go forth, set," ašiyavam "I set forth;" cf. Skt. cyu- "to move to and fro, shake about; to stir," cyávate "stirs himself, goes;" Gk. kinein "to move;" Goth. haitan "call, be called;" O.E. hatan "command, call;" PIE base *kei- "to move to and fro."

The → SI unit of → radioactivity. One becquerel corresponds to the → disintegration of one atom per second. Abbreviation: Bq. → curie.

Named for the French physicist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908), who discovered radioactivity in 1896.

A → dwarf spheroidal galaxy belonging to the → Local Group that was discovered serendipitously in 2019. Bedin I was detected using extremely deep → HST images (V ~ 30 mag) obtained for the purpose of investigating the → white dwarf cooling track of the Galactic → globular cluster NGC 6752. Bedin I is too faint and too close to the core of NGC 6752 for detection in earlier surveys. The discovery paper derives a → distance modulus of (m - M)₀ = 29.70 ± 0.13 mag from the observed → red giant branch, i.e. ~ 8.7 → megaparsecs (~ 30 million → light-years), and a size of ~ 840 × 340 pc, about one-fifth the size of the → Large Magellanic Cloud. This object is most likely a relatively isolated → satellite galaxy of the nearby great → spiral galaxy NGC 6744. The study suggests the presence of an old (~ 13 Gyr) and → metal-poor ([Fe/H] ~ -1.3) population in Bedin I.

Named after the first author of the discovery paper, L. R. Bedin et al., 2019, MNRAS 484, L54.

Solid → rock present beneath any → soil, → sediment, or other surface cover. In some locations it may be exposed at earth's surface.

Bedrock, from bed (O.E. bed, from P.Gmc. *badjam "sleeping place dug in the ground;" PIE *bhedh- "to dig, pierce") + → rock.

Sangbastar, from sang "stone, rock," → stone, + bastar "bed" (Mid.Pers. vistarak, cognate with Mod.Pers. gostar "a bed; spreading; scatterer," Av. star-, starəta- "spread," from star- "to spread," Skt. strnâti).

Any tree of the genus Fagus, especially Fagus sylvatica of Europe, having smooth grayish bark. In Iran Fagus orientalis populates Caspian highland forests from Âstârâ to Gorgân.

M.E. beche, from O.E. becew; cf. Dutch beuk, Ger. Buche, from PIE root *bhagos "beech tree;" also cf. Gk. phegos "oak," L. fagus "beech," Rus. buzina "elder."

Râš, as named in Gilân, Râmsar, Šahsavâr, Kalârdašt. Its other names: (Mâzandarân) mers, (Ammaârlu, Manjil) râj, (Tevâleš, Mt. Dorfak) aluš, alâš, âlâš, (Nur) celer, celar (Iranica).

→ Praesepe.

Manner of behaving or acting.

M.E. behavour, from behaven "to behave," altered by model havour, from O.Fr. avoir "to have."

Raftâr "behavior, walking, going," from raft past tense stem of raftan "to go, walk, proceed" (present tense stem row-, Mid.Pers. raftan, raw-, Proto-Iranian *rab/f- "to go; to attack") + -âr prefix forming action noun.