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

A member of a class of exploding stars that are more luminous than → novae but not as luminous as → supernovae. Moreover, their outburst → light curves have multiple peaks. One of the most characteristic features of red transients is that after exploding they cool down to → late-type → M star and develop circumstellar material rich in molecules and dust. Some of the members of the red transients in our Galaxy are V838V, OGLE-2002-BLG-360, V4332 Sgr, and V1309 Sco.

→ red; → transient.

An → X-ray binary system that has a long period of → quiescence interrupted by → outbursts of low-energy → soft X-rays. Alternatively known as X-ray novae, the majority (~ 75%) of SXTs contain a → black hole and a low-mass → main sequence  → companion star in orbit around one another. It is thought that SXTs arise in a similar manner to → dwarf novae, through instabilities in the → accretion disk around the → compact object (→ disk instability model).

→ soft; → X-ray; → transient..

General: Lasting for only a short time; not permanent.
Physics: A non-periodic signal of short duration. A sudden pulse of voltage or current.

From L. transiens "passing over or away," pr.p. of L. transire "to go or cross over," from → trans- "cross" + ire "to go."

Gozarâ "transient," from gozar present stem of gozaštan "to pass, cross, transit," variant gozâštan "to put, to place, let, allow;" Mid.Pers. widardan, widâštan "to pass, to let pass (by);" O.Pers. vitar- "to pass across," viyatarayam "I put across;" Av. vi-tar- "to pass across," from vi- "apart, away from" (O.Pers. viy- "apart, away;" Av. vi- "apart, away;" cf. Skt. vi- "apart, asunder, away, out;" L. vitare "to avoid, turn aside") + O.Pers./Av. tar- "to cross over;" → trans-.

A short-lived change in the brightness of patches on the face of the Moon. The TLPs last from a few seconds to a few hours and can grow from less than a few to a hundred kilometers in size. They have been reported by many observers since the invention of the telescope. However, the physical mechanism responsible for creating a TLP is not well understood. Several theories have been proposed, among which lunar outgassing, that is, gas being released from the surface of the Moon.

→ transient; → lunar; → phenomenon.

A general term for all events of astronomical nature occurring in the sky and lasting only for a relatively short duration, such as → supernova explosions, → gamma-ray bursts, → flare stars, → luminous red novae, eclipsing brown dwarfs, → tidal disruption events, etc.

→ transient; → sky.

An X-ray source that appears suddenly in the sky, strongly increases its intensity over a few days, and then declines with a lifetime of several months.

→ transient; → X-ray source.

An → X-ray source that enhances its emission well above its usual level for a period typically longer than a week. Recurrences can be → periodic or → aperiodic, but there is no obvious correlation between recurrence time and the luminosity amplitude of the → outburst. X-ray transients seem to be divided into two classes: those associated with → high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) stars and those associated with → low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) stars. The HMXBs contain a → neutron star or → black hole paired with a → massive star. Often, the stellar companion is a → Be star, Be star, which sometimes sheds material from its equatorial region. In these systems, the transient event is characterized by having more higher energy X-rays in the spectrum. The LMXBs contain a neutron star or black hole orbiting around a cooler, → low-mass star. These transient events often generate more lower-energy X-rays.

→ X-ray; → transient.