An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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Of a telescope, the smallest angle betwwen two → point sources that produces distinct images. It depends on both the wavelength at which observations are made and on the diameter of the telescope. Same as → spatial resolution.

→ angular; → resolution.

Chemistry: The process by which a solid, gas, or liquid is dispersed homogeneously in a gas, solid, or a liquid.

Verbal noun of → dissolve.

An observation that provides a particularly narrow, peaked image of a point source. → point spread function.

→ high; → resolution; → observation.

The separation between two detached but adjacent points in an image.

→ image; → resolution.

The analytical solution to the → hydrodynamic equations describing the → collapse of an → isothermal sphere. The Larson-Penston solution is → self-similar for a purely dynamical isothermal collapse with spherical symmetry. It corresponds to the collapse prior to the formation of a → protostar, and thus is suitable for the study of → pre-stellar cores. The Larson-Penston solution was extended by Shu (1977) to obtain a whole family of solutions for this problem.

Named after R. B. Larson (1969, MNRAS 145, 271) and M. V. Penston (1969, MNRAS 144, 425), who simultaneously, but independently, did this study.

The quality of an instrument that lacks sufficient resolution for a specific observation. This is a relative quality, but presently a resolution below about 1 arcsecond.

→ low; → resolution.

Of partial differential equations, the solution which can be obtained from the general solution by particular choice of the arbitrary functions. → general solution; → singular solution.

→ particular; → solution.

1) The degree to which an → optical system renders visible separate parts of an object. Also known as → angular resolution and → spatial resolution. See also → spectral resolution.
2) The time interval between successive discernible signals. → temporal resolution.

Verbal noun of → resolve.

Finding the → components of a → force which act in specified → directions.

→ resolution; → force.

A solution which can exist in equilibrium with excess of solute. The saturation concentration is a function of the temperature.

→ saturate; → solution.

The first exact solution of → Einstein's field equations that describes the → space-time geometry outside a spherical distribution of mass.

Briefly following Einstein's publication of → General Relativity, Karl Schwarzschild discovered this solution in 1916 (Sitzungsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Phys.-Math. Klasse, 189); → Schwarzschild black hole.

Of partial differential equations, the solution which cannot be obtained from the general solution by particular choice of arbitrary functions. → general solution; → particular solution.

→ singular; → solution.

1) The act of solving a problem, question. The state of being solved.
2a) Math.: The process of determining the answer to a problem. The answer itself.
2b) Math.: Of a differential equation, any function which, when put into the equation, converts it into an identity.
3) Chem.: The process by which a gas, liquid, or solid is dispersed homogeneously in a gas, liquid, or solid without chemical change. a homogeneous, molecular mixture of two or more substances.

Verbal noun of → solve.

The smallest detail that can be seen in an image. Same as → angular resolution.

→ spatial; → resolution.

The capacity of a spectrograph to separate two adjacent spectral lines. The theoretical spectral resolution depends on the grating dispersion, grating position, pixel size, collimator and camera focal length, and the entrance slit-width.

→ spectral; → resolution.

The measure of the ability of an observing system to clearly separate events in time. In other words, the shortest time interval that can be determined between two different events.

→ temporal hour; → resolution.

Same → temporal resolution.

→ time; → resolution.