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

A stellar system consisting of four stars orbiting around a common → center of mass.

→ quadruple; → system.

A → physical system that is specified by a → wave function.

→ quantum; → mechanical; → system.

A subsystem if its intrinsic energy is large, on the average, with respect to the energy of its interaction with other portions of the → closed system.

→ quasi-; → closed; → subsystem.

An optical system that is corrected for → distortion and → spherical aberration and therefore forms the image of a straight line as a straight line.

→ rectilinear; → system.

A database management system in which a relational data structure is used.

→ relational; → system.

A → dynamical system that has regained its → equilibrium. Especially a system in which the kinetic and potential energies obey a specific relationship known as the → virial theorem.

P.p. from relax, → relaxation.

→ planetary ring system.

→ ring; → system.

A → number system in which letters represent numbers, still used occasionally today. The cardinal numbers are expressed by the following seven letters: I (1), V (5), X (10), L (50), C (100), D (500), and M (1,000). If a numeral with smaller value is written on right of greater value then smaller value is added to the greater one. If it is preceded by one of lower value, the smaller numeral is subtracted from the greater. Thus VI = 6 (V + I), but IV = 4 (V - I). Other examples are XC (90), CL (150), XXII (22), XCVII (97), CCCXCV (395). If symbol is repeated then its value is added. The symbols I, X, C and M can be repeated maximum 3 times. A dash line over a numeral multiplies the value by 1,000. For example V^- = 5000, X^- = 10,000, C^- = 100,000, and DLIX^- = 559,000.

→ numeral; → system.

Same as → semidetached binary.

→ semi-; detached, p.p. of detach, from O.Fr. destachier (Fr. détacher), from des- "apart," + -tachier (as in atachier "to attach"); → system.

Râžmân, → system; nim-jodâ, from nim-→ semi- + jodâ "separate," from Mid.Pers. yut "separate, different;" Av. yuta- "separate, apart."

A number system whose base is 60. It originated with the ancient Sumerians around 2000 B.C., was transmitted to the Babylonians, and is still used in modified form for measuring time, angles, and geographic coordinates.

→ sexagesimal; → system.

The system of → SI units.

→ SI units.

A term introduced by the → International Astronomical Union (August 2006) to name the → solar system bodies other than → planets and → dwarf planets. Small solar system bodies include → asteroids, → comets, and → meteoroids.

→ small; → solar; → system; → body.

The collective name for the Sun and all objects gravitationally bound to it. These objects are the eight planets, their 166 known moons, five dwarf planets, and billions of small bodies. The small bodies include asteroids, icy Kuiper belt objects, comets, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust. The solar system is roughly a sphere with a radius greater than 100,000 AU. Planets, satellites, and all interplanetary material together comprise only about 1/750 of the total mass. Geochemical dating methods show that the solar system chemically isolated itself from the rest of the Galaxy (4.7 ± 0.1) × 10⁹ years ago.

→ solar; → system.

Same as → protosolar abundance.

→ solar system; → abundance.

Photometric system used as a reference.

→ standard; → system.

Same as → stellar system.

→ stellar; → system.

A system comprised of a group of stars bound by → gravitational attraction. Same as → star system.

→ stellar; → system.

A → photometric system, also called the → uvby system.

→ Stromgren sphere; → system.

A coherent component of a larger system.

→ sub-; → system

A spherical → coordinate system in which the → equator is the → supergalactic plane. Supergalactic longitude, SGL, is measured → counterclockwise from direction l = 137.37 deg, b = 0 deg (between 0 and 360 deg). The zero point for supergalactic longitude is defined by the intersection of this plane with the → Galactic plane. In the → equatorial coordinate system (J2000) this is approximately 2.82 h, +59.5 deg. Supergalactic latitude, SGB, is measured from the supergalactic plane, positive northward and negative southward. The North Supergalactic Pole (SGB=90 deg) lies at galactic coordinates l = 47.37 deg, b = +6.32 degrees, corresponding to the equatorial coordinate system (J2000) 18.9 h, +15.7 deg.

→ supergalactic; → coordinate; → system.