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

Same as → main lobe.

→ main; → beam.

The area between → Mars and → Jupiter where most of the → asteroids in our → solar system are found.

→ main; → belt.

In the n x n → matrix , the entities a₁₁, a₂₂, ..., a_nn.

→ main; → diagonal.

The lobe in the reception pattern of a radio telescope that includes the region of the maximum received power. Also called major lobe and main beam.

→ main; → lobe.

A thin strand of material encircling Jupiter; the main component in → Jupiter's ring system of three parts. The diffuse innermost boundary begins at approximately 123,000 km. The main ring's outer radius is found to be at 128,940 km,

→ main; → ring.

An evolutionary stage in the life of a star when it generates its energy by the conversion of hydrogen to helium via → nuclear fusion in its core. Stars spend 90% of their life on the main sequence. On the → Hertzsprung-Russell diagram it appears as a track running from top left (high temperature, high luminosity, high mass) to lower right (low temperature, low luminosity, low mass). See also → zero age main sequence (ZAMS), → terminal age main sequence (TAMS).

→ main; → sequence.

The method of determining the distance to a star cluster by overlaying its main sequence on the theoretical zero-age main sequence and noting the difference between the cluster's apparent magnitude and the zero-age main sequence's absolute magnitude.

→ main sequence; → fitting.

The point on the → Hertzsprung-Russell diagram of a star cluster at which stars begin to leave the → main sequence and move toward the → red giant branch. The main-sequence turnoff is a measure of age. In general, the older a star cluster, the fainter the main-sequence turnoff. Same as → turnoff point.

→ main sequence; → turnoff.

Greater in size, extent, or importance.

M.E. majour, from O.Fr., from L. major, irregular comparative of magnus "large, great," cognate with Pers. meh "large, great," as below.

Mehin comparative and superlative of meh "great, large" (Mid.Pers. meh, mas; Av. maz-, masan-, mazant- "great, important," mazan- "greatness, majesty," mazišta- "greatest;" cf. Skt. mah-, mahant-; Gk. megas; PIE *meg- "great") + -in superlative suffix.

The greatest diameter of an ellipse; it passes through the two foci.

→ major; → axis.

The → merging of two spiral galaxies with roughly equal masses colliding at appropriate angles. The dynamical friction is so efficient that the galaxies merge after only a few perigalactic passages.

→ major; → merger.

A name used to describe any planet that is considerably larger and more massive than the Earth, and contains large quantities of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter and Neptune are examples of major planets.

→ major; → planète.

Logic: In a → categorical syllogism, the premise containing the → major term.

→ major; → premisse.

Logic: In a → syllogism, the → predicate of the → conclusion which occurs in the → major premise.

→ major; → term.

A function, or an element of a set, that dominates others or is greater than all others. In other words, for a function f defined on the interval I, the point M such that for each x on I, f(x)≤ M. See also → minorant.

From Fr. majorant, from majorer "to increase, raise," from L. → major.

Mehân, from mehidan, from meh "great, large," → major.

The greater number, part, or quantity of a whole.

→ major; → -ity.

The third largest known → dwarf planet after → Eris and → Pluto. Numbered 136472, and initially called 2005 FY_g, it belongs to the → Kuiper belt in the solar system. Discovered in 2005, Makemake is roughly three-quarters of Pluto in size and orbits the Sun in about 310 years.

Named after Makemake "the creator of humanity and god of fertility" in the mythology of the Rapanui, the native people of Easter Island.

Something put in a scale to complete a required weight.

→ make; → weight.

Pârsang, → counterweight.

A → reflecting telescope incorporating a deeply curved → meniscus, → lens, which corrects the → optical aberrations of the spherical → primary mirror to give high-quality → images over a wide → field of view.

Named for the Russian optical specialist Dmitri Maksutov (1896-1964), who developed the design; → telescope.

1) Belonging to the sex that typically has the capacity to produce gametes, especially spermatozoa which fertilize the eggs of a female.
2) A person, plant, or animal capable of fertilizing.

M.E. male, from O.Fr. malle, masle, from L. masculus "masculine, a male," → maculine.

Nar "male," from Mid.Pers. nar, "male; manly;" Av. nar- "male, man," nairya- "male, manly;" cf. Skt nara- "male, man."