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

Of, pertaining to, or near an equator, especially the equator of the Earth.

From → equator + -ial, variant of → -al.

Hamugâri, from hamugâr, → equator, + adj. suffix -i.

The excess of the equatorial diameter over the polar diameter of a celestial object, such as the Earth or the Moon.

→ equatorial; bulge, from O.Fr. bouge "leather bag," from L. bulga "leather bag," of Gaulish origin.

Barâmadegi, from barâmadan "to grow out; to emerge," from bar- "on, upon, up" (Mid.Pers. abar, O.Pers. upariy "above; over, upon, according to," Av. upairi "above, over," upairi.zəma- "located above the earth;" cf. Gk. hyper- "over, above;" L. super-; O.H.G. ubir "over;" PIE base *uper "over") + âmadan "to come" (Mid.Pers. âmadan; O.Pers. gam- "to come; to go;" Av. gam- "to come; to go," jamaiti "goes;" cf. Skt. gamati "goes;" Gk. bainein "to go, walk, step;" L. venire "to come;" Tocharian A käm- "to come;" O.H.G. queman "to come;" E. come; PIE root *gwem- "to go, come").

An astronomical → coordinate system for indicating the positions of → celestial objects on the → celestial sphere. The system consists of two components, → right ascension and → declination. Right ascension is the angle between the → vernal equinox and the point where the → hour circle intersects the → celestial equator. The right ascension is always measured eastward from the vernal equinox, in the units of hours, minutes, and seconds. Declination is the angle between the celestial equator and the position of the star measured along the star's hour circle. It is measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds north or south of the celestial equator. By definition, the vernal equinox is located at right ascension 0h and declination 0°. Equatorial coordinates change with time due to the → precession of the Earth's → rotation axis.

→ equatorial; → coordinate; → system.

Celestial coordinates in the → equator system.

→ equatorial, → coordinate.

A telescope mounting consisting of a polar axis pointed toward the celestial pole, and a declination axis supporting the instrument at right angles to the polar axis.

→ equatorial; → mounting.

The plane containing a celestial object's equator.

→ equatorial; → plane.

Of a planet, the distance from the center to the equator. For Earth it is 6,378.1370 km. Jupiter has an equatorial radius 11.2 times Earth's value.

→ equatorial; → radius.

A slow, dense → stellar wind (high → mass loss rate) emanating from equatorial regions of a → B[e] star. The equatorial and → polar winds are the two main wind components in B[e] stars. The mechanism suggested to explain this wind morphology is the rotationally induced → bistability mechanism.

→ equatorial; → wind.