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

For a body that moves with respect to a rotating → reference frame, the vector sum of the observed acceleration, the → Coriolis acceleration, and the → centrifugal acceleration. See also the → Coriolis theorem.

→ absolute; → acceleration.

Also called → thermodynamic temperature, the value of a → temperature in the → Kelvin scale. It is is equal to the temperature on the → Celsius scale -273.15 °C.

→ absolute; → temperature.

(v.tr.) To increase the velocity of a body; to cause to undergo acceleration.
(v.intr.) To increase in speed.

Verbal form of → acceleration.

The motion of an object subject to → acceleration. Opposite to → uniform motion.

Accelerated, from → accelerate; → motion.

Jonbeš, → motion; šetâbdâr "accelerated," from šetâb→ accelerate + dâr "having, possessor" (from dâštan "to have, to possess," Mid.Pers. dâštan, O.Pers./Av. root dar- "to hold, keep back, maitain, keep in mind;" cf. Skt. dhr-, dharma- "law;" Gk. thronos "elevated seat, throne;" L. firmus "firm, stable;" Lith. daryti "to make;" PIE *dher- "to hold, support").

Moving or proceeding with → acceleration; e.g. → accelerating system; → accelerating Universe.

Verbal adj. from → accelerate.

→ accelerating Universe.

→ accelerating; → expansion; → Universe.

A material system that is subject to a constant force in each and every one of its instantaneous points of trajectory.

→ accelerating; → system.

The deduction based on the observation that the most distant → Type Ia supernovae are fainter than that expected from their → redshifts in a matter-only dominated expanding Universe. The faintness is attributed to larger distances resulting from an accelerating Universe driven by presence of a new component with strongly negative pressure. This component that makes the Universe accelerate is named → dark energy. The deceleration or acceleration of an expanding Universe, given by the general relativistic equation, is: R^../R = -(4/3)πGρ(1 + 3w), where R is the linear → cosmic scale factor of the expanding Universe, G the → gravitational constant, ρ the mean density of the Universe, and w the → equation of state parameter representing dark energy. The expansion accelerates whenever w is more negative than -1/3. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 was awarded to the initiators of this concept, Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt, and Adam G. Riess, for their discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae. See also the original paper: Perlmutter et al. 1999, ApJ 517, 565.

→ accelerating; → universe.

The rate at which the velocity of an object changes with time.

Acceleration, from accelerate, from L. accelerare "quicken," from → ad- "to" + celerare "hasten," from celer "swift" (cf. Skt. car, carati "to move, go, drive," Gk. keles "fast horse, horse race," Av. kar- "to walk, move, go around," Mod.Pers. cal, calidan "to move, to go, to walk" (jald? "quick, active, brisk"), Gilaki/Hamadâni jal "quick, fast,"Lori žil "motion, impulse"); PIE *kel- "to drive, set in swift motion."

Šetâb "quickness, haste, speed," Mid.Pers. ôštâp "hurry, haste," ôštâftan "to hurry, hasten," from *abi.stap-, from abi- " to; in addition to; against" + *stap- "to oppress," Arm. (loanword) štap "haste, trouble."

The acceleration that an object experiences because of gravity when it falls freely close to the surface of a massive body, such as a planet. Same as → gravitational acceleration.

→ acceleration; → gravity.

A measure of the departure from a constant rate of the acceleration of the Universe, expressed by: q(t) = R(t)R ^..(t)/R ^.2(t), where R(t) represents the size of the Universe at time t. Traditionally, a negative sign is inserted in the above equation for the → deceleration parameter.

→ acceleration; → parameter.

A machine which accelerates charged atomic (ions of various elements) or subatomic particles (usually electrons and protons) to high energies. → cyclotron; → synchrotron.

Accelerator, from accelerate, → acceleration, + -or agent suffix, from M.E. -or, -our, from O.F. -eor, -eur, from L. -or.

Šetâbgar, from šetâb→ acceleration + -gar agent suffix, → -or.

The temperature gradient defining the → radiative equilibrium condition in a region. It is expressed as: dT/dr = (1 - 1/ γ)((T / P)(dP / dr), where T and P are temperature and pressure, dT / dr and dP / dr temperature and pressure gradients respectively, and γ = C_P / C_V. For radiative equilibrium to be stable against → convection, the actual temperature gradient must be less than the adiabatic temperature gradient, i.e. |dT /dr|_rad < |dT /dr|_ad. See also → Schwarzschild's criterion.

→ adiabatic; → temperature; → gradient.

1) (v.) To collect or gather into a cluster or mass.
2) (adj.) Gathered together into a cluster or mass.
3a) (n.) A mass of things clustered together.
3b) A rock composed of rounded or angular volcanic fragments (Dictionary.com).

From L. agglomeratus, p.p. of agglomerare "to wind or add onto a ball," from → ad- "to" + glomerare to "wind up in a ball," from glomus (genitive glomeris) "ball of yarn," globus "globe;" PIE *gel- "to make into a ball."

Bargolemidan, from suffix bar- "to, on, upon," + golem, from Lori, Laki golemâ, golama "curd, obtained from milk by coagulation, used to make cheese," Lori golem "stagnating water," Sangesari, Semnâni, Sorxe-yi, Lâsgardi golma, "boll, i.e. the rounded seed capsule of plants such as cotton," + -idan infinitive suffix.

1) A jumbled cluster or mass of varied parts.
2) The act or process of agglomerating (Dictionary.com).

Verbal noun of → agglomerate.

The brightest star in → Cepheus and a → subgiant star of apparent visual magnitude 2.44. Its → spectral type is A7 and distance 49 → light-years.

Alderamin, from Ar. al dhirâ' al-yamin "right arm" (of Cepheus), from Ar. dhirâ' "arm" + yamin "right".

Zerâ'-e Yamin, from Ar. al dhira al-yamin.

The brightest star in → Andromeda with a visual magnitude of 2.07. Alpheratz is a blue → subgiant star of spectral type B8 IV lying at a distance of about 97 → light-years. It is particularly remarkable because of the unusual strength of mercury and manganese absorption lines in its spectrum.

Other names for this star are Alpherat, Sirrah, or Sirah. These names derive from Ar. As-Surrat al-Faras (السره‌الفرس) "The Horse's Navel," from surrat (سره) "navel" + faras (فرس) "horse". The name refers to the location of the star in the figure of → Pegasus. However, the star is now considered to belong to the constellation → Andromeda.

Ra's-ol-Mosalsalé, from Ar. Ar-Ra's al-Mar'ah al-Musalsalah "The head of the chained woman," from Ra's "head" + Mar'ah "woman" + Musalsalah "chained".

1) The act or process of altering; the state of being altered.
2) The result of altering.

Verbal noun of → alter.

The current geologic era on Mars that began around 2 billion to 3 billion years ago. It is characterized by lower geologic activity such as volcanism and only occasional releases of underground water. A dry environment with a very thin atmosphere in which water can only exist as a solid or a gas, not as a liquid. → Noachian era; → Hesperian era.

Named for the young lava-covered plains called Amazonia Planitia. → era.

The rate of change of → angular velocity. It is equal to the → first derivative of the → angular velocity: α = dω/dt =d²θ/dt² = a_t/r, where θ is the angle rotated, a_t is the linear tangential acceleration, and r is the radius of circular path.

→ angular; → acceleration.