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

A part of the ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths between 50 and 300 Angstöms.

→ extreme; → ultraviolet.

A star with an iron abundance [Fe/H] < -3 found in a → galactic halo. These stars, whose → metallicity is typically less than one thousandth of the solar value, are believed to have formed shortly after the → Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. The number of such stars depends on the primordial → initial mass function. If the IMF were steep, there could, in principle, be a lot of EMPSs formed at high → redshifts. Thus many of them could have ended up in the halos of galaxies. See also → Population III star.

→ extreme; → metal; → poor; → star.

A → microorganism with the ability to thrive in extreme environmental conditions that would kill other species. These conditions include high temperatures, very low temperatures, high pressures, high levels of radiation, and high concentrations of salt in water.

→ extreme; → -phile.

A maximum or minimum value of a function in a specified interval.

From L. extremus, → extreme.

Ostomé, from ostom, → extreme + noun suffix -é, from Mid.Pers. -ag.

The distance between the eyepiece of a telescope and the location of the exit pupil. This is where the observer's eye should be positioned to see the entire field of view of the eyepiece. Also termed eye distance.

→ eye; relief, from M.E. relef, from O.Fr. relief "assistance," from relever "to raise," from L. relevare "to raise, alleviate," from re- intensive prefix, + levare "to lift up, lighten."

Cašm nehâd "eye position," from cašm, → eye, + nehâd "position, placing, posture," contracted form of nehâdan "to place, put;" Mid.Pers. nihâtan; Av. ni- "down; into," → ni-, + dā- "to put; to establish; to give," dadāiti "he gives;" cf. Skt. dadāti "he gives;" Gk. didomi "I give;" L. do "I give;" PIE base *do- "to give."

An empirical power-law correlation between the luminosity (L) and the velocity dispersion of stars (σ) in the center of a elliptical galaxies. The original relation can be expressed mathematically as: L ∝ σ^γ, where the index γ is observed to be approximately equal to 4, but depends on the range of galaxy luminosities that is fitted. → Tully-Fisher relation.

After the astronomers Sandra M. Faber and Robert Earl Jackson, who first noted this relation in 1976 (ApJ 204, 668); → relation.

A diagram representing a systematic way of determining all the prime factors of a number.

→ factor; → tree.

A temperature scale (°F) in which the → freezing point of → water is 32 degrees and the → boiling point is 212 degrees; the points are placed 180 degrees apart. It converts to the → Celsius scale by the formula: C = (5/9)(F - 32). See also → Kelvin scale, → Rankine scale, → Reaumur scale.

Developed by the German physicist Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736); → scale.

1) An act or instance of failing; lack of success.
2) A state of inability to perform a normal function.

Verbal noun from → fail.

Infrared radiation in the wavelength range (25-40) to (200-350) microns emitted by cold molecular/dust clouds.

→ far; → infrared.

The portion of the → electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range between about 30 and 300 → microns. See also: → infrared radiation, → near-infrared, → mid-infrared, → submillimeter radiation.

→ far; → infrared.

A prominent or conspicuous part or characteristic. → absorption feature; → coronal features; → dust feature; → emission feature.

From O.Fr. faiture "fashion, shape, form," from L. facura "a formation," from facere "to make, do, perform" (cf. Fr. faire, Sp. hacer), from PIE base *dhe- "to put, to do" (cf. Mod.Pers. dâdan "to give;" O.Pers./Av. dā- "to give, grant, yield," dadāiti "he gives; puts;" Skt. dadáti "puts, places;" Hitt. dai- "to place;" Gk. tithenai "to put, set, place;" Lith. deti "to put;" Czech diti, Pol. dziac', Rus. det' "to hide," delat' "to do;" O.H.G. tuon, Ger. tun, O.E. don "to do").

Ârang "color; mode, form, manner," cf. Av. *iringa- "sign, mark" in haptôiringa- "with seven marks," from hapto- "seven," + iringa-; Mid.Pers. haptiring, Mod.Pers. haftowrang "the constellation of Great Bear;" cf. Skt. linga- "mark, token, sign."

In → number theory, the statement that for all → integers, the equation xⁿ + yⁿ = zⁿ has no solution in → positive integer. After 358 years of effort by mathematicians to prove the theorem, a complete proof was found by Andrew Wiles in 1995.

→ Fermat's principle; → last; → theorem.

Same as → degeneracy pressure.

→ fermi; → pressure.

An aberration in an optical instrument, common in Schmidt telescopes, in which the focus changes from the center to the edge of the field of view. Owing to this aberration, a straight object looks curved in the image.

→ field; → curvature.

The precise curve required on the surface of an optical element, especially the mirror of a reflecting telescope.

From O.Fr. figure, from L. figura "a shape, form."

Šekl from Ar. šakl "figure."

Closely spaced components seen at high resolution in a → spectral line. The phenomenon is explained by the fact that instead of a single → energy level corresponding to a given value of the → quantum number  n, there are actually a number of energy levels lying close to one another. → fine-structure constant, → fine-structure line.

→ fine; → structure.

A measure of the strength of → interaction between a → charged particle and the → electromagnetic field. It is a → dimensionless number expressed (in → cgs units) by α = e²/ħc, where e is the → electron charge, ħ is the → reduced Planck's constant, and c is the → speed of light. It is approximately equal to 1/137 or 7.3 × 10^-3. The smallness of this number is of great importance since it determines the size of → atoms and the → stability of → matter. Same as → electromagnetic coupling constant.

→ fine structure; → constant.

A → spectral line whose → energy levels have a → fine structure. Examples are [C II] 157.7 μm (→ singly ionized carbon), [O III] 88 μm, and [Ne II] 12.8 μm.

→ fine; → structure; → line.

A state, process, or instance of combustion in which a substance combines with oxygen producing heat, light, and flame.

O..E. fyr, from P.Gmc. *fuir (cf. O.N. fürr, M.Du. vuur, Ger. Feuer), from PIE *paewr-; cf. Mod.Pers. Lori porpor "blazing charcoal," Gilaki bur, biur "smokeless red fire" (Lori perisk, periska "spark," Kurd. biriske "spark," Lârestâni pelita "spark"); Tokharian por, puwar "fire;" Gk. pyr "fire;" Hitt. pahhur "fire;" Skt. pū- "to cleanse."

Âtaš, variants âzar, taš, from Mid.Pers. âtaxš, âtur "fire;" Av. ātar-, āθr- "fire," singular nominative ātarš-; O.Pers. ātar- "fire;" Av. āθaurvan- "fire priest;" Skt. átharvan- "fire priest;" cf. L. ater "black" ("blackened by fire"); Arm. airem "burns;" Serb. vatra "fire;" PIE base *āter- "fire."