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

1) (with preposition to) To be the property of.
2) (with preposition to) To be a part or adjunct of.

M.E. belongen, from be- intensive prefix, + longen "to go," from O.E. langian "pertain to, to go along with;" akin to Du. belangen, Ger. belangen; of unknown origin.

Pargetidan, literally "to surround, to relate with" (on the model of L. pertinere "pertain," Skt. parigraha- "surrounding; relation to"), from parget "to hold, seize, take around," from par- "around," → peri-, + get "to take, sieze," as in Tâleši gate "to take," Târi gata, Sorxeyi, Lâsgardi, Semnâni, Šâhmerzâdi -git- "take, seize," variants of gereftan "take, hold," → concept.

If x is an → element of a → set S, then x belongs to S and this is written x ∈ S.

Third person present verb of → belong.

Angular distance to an object measured eastward along the → ecliptic from the → vernal equinox.

→ celestial; → longitude.

Derežnâ, → longitude; âsmâni→ celestial.

1) A great circle of the celestial sphere, from the pole to the ecliptic at right angles to the plane of the ecliptic.
2) A great circle on the terrestrial surface that meets the North and South poles and connects all places of the same longitude.

→ circle; → longitude.

The product of the → specific heat and → atomic weight of most solid elements at room → temperature is nearly the same. In other words, specific heat is constant for a solid and independent of temperature. Experiment shows that at moderate temperatures this law is satisfied for → crystals with rather simple structure. However, the law fails for crystals with more complex structures. More specifically the law cannot explain the variation of specific heat with temperature. The specific heat drops to zero as the temperature approaches 0 K. This behavior is explained only with the quantum theory. → Debye model.

Named after Pierre L. Dulong (1785-1838) and Alexis T. Petit (1797-1820), French chemists, who proposed the law in 1819. They collaborated in several important investigations, including studies of thermal expansion of gases and of liquids and the specific heats of substances; → law.

The position of a planet when it can be seen in the western sky just after sunset.

→ eastern; → elongation.

One of the two coordinates in the → ecliptic system; the angle measured eastwards along the ecliptic from 0° to 360°, with the origin at the → vernal equinox.

→ ecliptic; → longitude.

To draw out to greater length; lengthen; extend.

From L.L. elongatus "lengthened out," p.p. of elongare "to make longer, to remove to a distance," from → ex- "out" + longus "long;" PIE base *dlonghos- "long;" cf. Av. darəga-, darəγa- "long," drājištəm "longest;" Mod.Pers. derâz "long," dir "late; long;" Skt. dīrghá- "long (in space and time);" Gk. dolikhos "long;" P.Gmc. *langgaz (Ger. lang; O.N. langr; M.Du. lanc; Goth. laggs "long;" E. long).

DerâzidanDerâzeš "to elongate," from derâz "long," Mid.Pers. drâz "long;" Av. darəga-, darəγa- "long," drājištəm "longest;" PIE *dlonghos- "long," as above.

Made longer; long and narrow.

Past participle of → elongate.

An → elliptical orbit with a high → eccentricity.

→ elongated; → orbit.

1) Increase in length per unit of original length.
2) The angular distance of a planet from the Sun as seen from the Earth. An elongation of 0° is called → conjunction; one of 180° is called → opposition; and an elongation of 90° is called → quadrature.

→ elongate; → -tion.

In the → Galactic coordinate system, the angle between the → Galactic Center and the projection of the object on the → Galactic plane. Galactic longitude, usually represented by the symbol l^II, ranges from 0 degrees to 360 degrees.

→ galactic; → longitude.

The secular displacement of the → equinox on the → ecliptic of date.

→ general; → precession; → longitude.

The same as → geodetic longitude.

→ geocentric; → longitude.

The angle between the plane of the → geodetic meridian and the plane of of the geodetic meridian through the site of the → Airy transit circle at the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

→ geodetic; → longitude.

The Greatest → elongation of an inferior planet occurring after sunset.

Superlative of → great; → eastern; → elongation.

The largest → elongation of an inferior planet from the Sun. It may be → greatest eastern elongation or → greatest western elongation. The greatest elongation of Mercury is about 28°, and thus Mercury can only be observed 112 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. For Venus, it is about 47°, making it visible at most about 3 hours after sunset or before sunrise.

Superlative of → great; → eastern; → elongation.

The Greatest → elongation of an inferior planet occurring before sunrise.

Superlative of → great; → western; → elongation.

A tiny oscillating motion of the → Moon arising from the fact that the Moon's orbit is not a precise circle but rather an → ellipse. Therefore, Moon is sometimes a little closer to the Earth than at other times, and as a result its → orbital velocity varies a bit. Since the Moon's rotation on its own axis is more regular, the difference appears as a slight east-west oscillation. Libration in longitude is the most significant kind of libration. It varies between about 4°.5 and 8°.1 because of gravitational perturbations in the Moon's orbit caused by the Sun.

→ libration; → longitude.

1) Having considerable linear extent in space. → very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI).
2) Having considerable duration in time. → long-period variable.

M.E. longe, O.E. lang, long, akin to O.H.G., Ger. lang "long," O.N. langr, M.Du. lanc, Goth. laggs "long," L. longus, → longitude.

Derâz "long," Mid.Pers. drâz "long;" O.Pers. darga- "long;" Av. darəga-, darəγa- "long," drājištəm "longest;" cf. Skt. dirghá- "lon (in space and time)."