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

In surveying and navigation, the process of deriving the linear distance between any two remote points by the division of a large area into adjacent triangles and using trigonometric relationships. See also → trilateration.

From M.L. triangulation-, from triangulare "to make triangles," → triangle.

Seguš-bandi, from sé, → three, + guš/gušé, → angle, + bandi verbal noun from bastan "to form, bind, tie" (Mid.Pers. bastan/vastan "to bind, shut;" Av./O.Pers. band- "to bind, fetter," banda- "band, tie;" cf. Skt. bandh- "to bind, tie, fasten;" Ger. binden; E. bind; PIE base *bhendh- "to bind").

The hydrogen molecule composed of three atoms in which one of the atoms is ionized. The molecular ion H₃⁺ plays a key role in the chemistry of gaseous → interstellar medium. It reacts efficiently with almost any neutral atom or molecule to initiate a network of ion-neutral reactions. It is responsible for producing molecules such as OH, CO, and H₂O. The first detection of H₃⁺ in the interstellar medium, via two closely spaced absorption lines (doublet) near 3.668 μm, were reported in two dense → molecular cloud cores along the lines of sight to the embedded → young stellar objects W33A and GL2136 (Geballe & Oka 1996). Since then H₃⁺ has been detected in several molecular clouds. It is believed that H₃⁺ forms via → cosmic ray → ionization of H₂ producing H₂⁺, which quickly reacts to another H₂ molecule to form H₃⁺ ( H₂ + CR → H₂⁺ and H₂⁺ + H₂→ H₃⁺ + H + 1.7 eV).

Tri-, → three; → atomic; → hydrogen; → molecular; → ion.

The formation of second-generation stars in a → molecular cloud, as set off by the action of → massive stars. → sequential star formation; → radiation-driven implosion.

→ trigger; → star formation.

A function of an angle, one of six functions (sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, secant, and cosecant) that represent ratios of sides of right triangles. Also called circular function.

→ trigonometric; → function.

A geometrical method in land surveying for the determination of the relative position of points. In contrast to → triangulation, trilateration involves measuring the lengths of the three sides of touching or overlapping triangles and not their angles.

→ tri-; → lateral; → side; → -tion.

A rare event involving a particularly intricate set of movements of two planets or a planet and a star where they meet each other three times in a short period either in opposition or at the time of inferior conjunction, if an inferior planet is involved. The visible movement of the planet or the planets in the sky is therefore normally prograde at the first conjunction, retrograde at the second conjunction and again prograde at the third conjunction.

→ triple; → conjunction.

The coordinates of an object for a given date, with respect to the true equator and the true equinoxes for the instant of time in question.

→ true; → position.

The act or process of truncating, as → disk truncation.

Verbal noun from → truncate.

A → total function from → truth values to truth values (a sequence of truth values).

→ truth; → function.

An observed correlation between the luminosity of a spiral galaxy and its rate of rotation (measured from its 21 cm hydrogen line). This means that more luminous galaxies have stars that are moving faster. Knowing the rotational velocity of a spiral galaxy, this relation provides its absolute magnitude and then its distance. → Faber-Jackson relation.

Named after R. B. Tully and J. R. Fisher who first derived this relationship (1977, A&A 54, 661); → relation.

The motion of a solid body whose rotation axis is not fixed in space. For example, that of an asteroid that does not rotate about one of their principal axes. → tumbling asteroid.

→ tumble; → motion.

A young (≤ 100 million years) association of stars (abbreviated TWA) with at least 27 members, from → intermediate mass stars to planetary mass objects. Five of them, including → TW Hydrae, display signatures of → T Tauri stars. TWA is the first moving group of young nearby (≤ 100 → paesecs) stars to be identified.

→ TW Hydrae; → association.

A flow whose parameters are functions of time and two space coordinates (x and y) only. There is no variation in the z direction and therefore the same → streamline pattern could at any instant be found in all planes in the fluid perpendicular to the z direction (B. Massey, Mechanics of Fluids, Taylor & Francis, 2006).

→ two; → dimensional; → flow.

The simultaneous emission of two photons whose sum of energies is equal to that of a single electron transition. The energy of each individual photon of the pair is not fixed, so that the spectrum of two-photon emission is continuous from the wavelength of that transition to infinity. In practice, there is a peak in wavelength distribution of the emitted photons. Two-photon emission is studied atomic physics with application in astrophysics, as it contributes to the continuum radiation from → planetary nebulae. It was recently observed in condensed matter and specifically in → semiconductors.

→ two; → photon; → emission.

An → orbital migration of low-mass → planets in which no gap is created in the → protoplanetary disk. According to planetary models, beyond a critical core mass for the forming planet, a gap in the protoplanetary disk is created. The critical mass depends on the mass and → metallicity of the disk and therefore it does not have a singular value, but has been shown to be between about 10-30 Earth masses. Compare with → Type II migration.

→ type; → migration.

The → orbital migration of forming → planets that → accrete enough disk material to exceed the critical mass. This type migrates in a gap created in the → protoplanetary disk. Compare with → Type I migration.

→ type; → migration.

A very young → H II region fully embedded in its natal molecular cloud. Ultracompact H II regions are distinguished from classical H II regions by their small sizes (diameter ≥ 0.1 pc), high densities (Ne ≥ 10⁵ cm^-3), and high emission measures (EM ≥ 10⁷ pc cm^-6). Their typical ionized gas content is about 10^-2  → solar masses, in contrast to classical H II regions with a mass of about 10⁵ solar masses. Due to very important extinction, ultracompact H II regions are not accessible to visible wavelengths.

→ ultra-; → compact; → H II region.

The function y = f(x) in a given range of the argument x if there is no number M such that for all values of x in the range under consideration the inequality | f(x) | ≤ M will be fulfilled. → bounded function.

→ unbound; → function.

Not limited by conditions; absolute.

→ un-; → conditional.

A wave; the motion of waves.
A wavelike motion in any medium.

From L.L. undulatus "wavy, undulated," from undula "wavelet," diminutive of L. unda "wave."

Mowješ, verbal noun of mowjidan "to undulate," from mowj→ wave.