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

A general term for certain reference astronomical sources that allow determining the characteristics (magnitude, distance, velocity, etc.) of other sources. → primary calibrators, → secondary calibrators.

Calibrator, from → calibrate + → -or.

Kabizandé, agent noun from kabizidan, → calibrate.

An indicator of extragalactic distances that relies on → primary calibrators in our Galaxy. Secondary calibrators of the distance scale depend on statistical measures of the properties of a class of objects, such as the brightness of H II regions, globular clusters, red and blue stars, or the neutral hydrogen 21-cm line width or velocity dispersion (of spiral galaxies), etc. Same as secondary distance indicator.

→ secondary; → calibrator.