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

A high-precision echelle spectrograph built for exoplanet findings and installed on the ESO's 3.6m telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile. The first light was achieved in February 2003. HARPS has discovered dozens of exoplanets, making it the most successful planet finder behind the Kepler space observatory. HARPS can detect movements as small as 0.97 m s^-1 (3.5 km h^-1), with an effective precision of the order of 30 cm s^-1, and a → resolving power of 120,000 (Mayor et al., 2003, ESO Messengar 114, 20).

→ high; → accuracy; → radial; → velocity; → planet; → search; → -er.

1) (n.) A systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or establish or revise facts, theories, applications, etc.
2) (v.) To carry out research into a subject.

From M.Fr. recerche, from O.Fr. recercher "to seek out, search closely," from → re-, intensive prefix, + cercher "to seek for," from L. circare "to go about, wander, traverse," from circus→ circle.

Pažuheš, verbal noun of pažuhidan "to search;" Mid.Pers. wizôy- "to examine, investigate;" ultimately from Proto-Iranian *pati-iud-, from *pati- "agaist, back, opposite to, toward, face to face, in front of (cf. O.Pers. paity; Av. paiti; Skt. práti; Pali pati-; Gk. proti, pros "face to face with, toward, in addition to, near;" PIE base *proti) + *iud- "to struggle for something, to fight (Av. yūδ- "to fight, struggle;" Mod.Pers. justan, juy- "to search, seek, ask for"); cf. Mid.Pers. vijuyihitan "to search, seek."

Systematic activity combining both basic and applied research, and aimed at discovering solutions to problems or creating new goods and knowledge. (BusinessDictionary.com).

→ research; → development.

A person who has the quality of guiding, regulating, or controlling the work of other researchers.

→ research; → director.

A nuclear reactor designed for radionuclide production, materials testing, and training.

→ research; → reactor.

A scientist who devotes himself to doing research.

Agent noun, from → research + → -or.

To explore or examine in order to find something.

M.E. serchen, cerchen, from O.Fr. cerchier "to search," from L. circare "to go about, wander, traverse," from circus "circle."

Jost-o-ju interfixed jost and juy past and present stem of jostan/juyidan "to seek, strive for;" Proto-Iranian *iud- "to struggle for something, to fight" (Av. yūδ- "to fight, struggle;" Mod.Pers. justan, juy- "to search, seek, ask for"); cf. Mid.Pers. vijuyihitan "to search, seek."

The scientific attempt to detect → intelligent extraterrestrial → life by surveying the sky to find the existence of → transmissions, especially → radio waves or → light, from a → civilization on a distant → planet. The SETI Institute, that carries out the project, is a private non-profit center founded in 1984. There are many methods that SETI scientific teams use to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Many of these search billions of radio frequencies that reach Earth from all over the → Universe, looking for an intelligent → radio signal. Other SETI teams search by looking for signals in pulses of light emanating from the stars.

→ search; → extraterrestrial; → intelligence.

An international collaboration, more accurately named SuperWASP, led by the United Kingdom, that aims at detecting → extrasolar planets by means of the → transit method. SuperWASP consists of two robotic observatories that operate continuously all year around, providing coverage of the sky in both hemispheres. The first, SuperWASP-North, is located on the island of La Palma. The second, SuperWASP-South, is located at the site of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). The observatories each consist of eight wide-angle cameras that simultaneously monitor the sky for → planetary transit events. Using the array of cameras makes it possible to monitor millions of stars simultaneously at an → apparent visual magnitude from about 7 to 13.

→ wide; → angle; → search; → planet.