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

The ability of the → eye to see separately two points close to each other. It is a measure of the → resolving power of the eye's → optical system and depends on the density of cells in the → retina. The maximum acuity of the normal human eye is around 0.5 minutes of arc.

→ acuity; → vision.

The → angular  → difference in → altitude between the → Sun and the → Moon.

→ arc; → vision.

The technique of looking slightly to the side of a faint object being studied while continuing to concentrate on the object. The technique helps bring out details which otherwise would be missed by looking directly at an object. The reason is that the portion of the eye's retina that best detects dim light (fovea) is located all around the edges rather than the center.

Averted p.p. from avert, from O.Fr. avertir, from L. avertere "to turn away," from → ab- "from, away" + vertere "to turn" (cognate with Pers. gardidan "to turn"); → vision.

Negâh, → vision; kaž "averted."

The main dark gap, 4,700 km wide, which divides Saturn's outermost A and B rings.

Named after Jean-Dominique Cassini (1625-1712), French astronomer of Italian origin, who discovered the division in 1675; → division.

1) The act or process of dividing; state of being divided.
Math.: An operation in which a dividend is divided by a divisor to give a quotient and a remainder.
2) Something that marks a division; a separation.

From O.Fr. division, from L. divisionem (nom. divisio), from divid-, stem of dividere "to cleave, distribute," from → dis- "apart" + -videre "to separate," from PIE base *widh- "to separate."

1) Baxš "portion, part, division," baxšidan "to divide, distribute, grant;" Mod./Mid.Pers. baxt "fortune, fate," baxtan, baxšidan "to distribute, divide," bâq "garden," initially "piece or patch of land," baq "god, lord;" Av. bag- "to attribute, allot, distribute," baxš- "to apportion, divide, give to," baxta- "what is allotted (luck, fortune)," baxədra- "part, portion," baγa- "master, god;" O.Pers. bāji- "tribute, tax;" cf. Skt. bhaj- "to share, divide, distribute, apportion," bhájati "divides," bhakta- "allotted; occupied with; a share; food or a meal, time of eating?" pitu-bháj- "enjoying food;" Gk. phagein"to eat (to have a share of food)"; PIE base *bhag- "to share out, apportion."
2) Šekâf "a fissure, crack, slit," šekâftan "to divide into two long strips, split, break," Mid.Pers. škâftan.

A symbol placed between two quantities (dividend and the divisor) to indicate the division of the first by the second. The division sign is written as a horizontal line with dot above and dot below, ÷ (→ obelus), or a slash or horizontal line.

→ division; → sign.

Same as → diplopia.

→ double; → vision.

In arithmetic, the conventional process of division of two → integers. For a → real number a divided by b > 0, there exists a unique integer q and a real number r, 0 ≤ r <b, such that a = qb + r.

→ Euclidean; → division.

In the system of → Saturn's rings, the gap at the inner edge of the → Cassini division at a distance of 117,680 km from the center of the planet with a width of 285-400 km.

→ Huygens; → division.

In Saturn's rings, the gap between rings B and C.

Named after Bernard Lyot (1897-1952), French astronomer who discovered the division. He was also a distinguished solar observer and invented (1930) the → coronagraph; → division.

In optics, the ability to see over large angles of view.

→ peripheral; → vision.

the act or work of revising. a process of revising. a revised form or version, as of a book.

Verbal noun of → revise.

Vision that occurs when the eye is dark-adapted. In scotopic vision, the level of luminance is so low that the retinal cones are not stimulated, and there is no color vision. Same as scotopia; → dark adaptation.

Scotopic, from L. Gk. skoto- combining form of skotos "darkness" + -opia akin to ope "view, look," ops "eye, face;" → vision.

Did, → vision; târiki noun from târik "dark," Mid.Pers. târig "dark," târ "darkness," Av. taθra- "darkness," taθrya- "dark," cf. Skt. támisrâ- "darkness, dark night," L. tenebrae "darkness," Hittite taš(u)uant- "blind," O.H.G. demar "twilight."

A method of dividing a polynomial in the special case of dividing by a linear factor. Synthetic division allows one to do long division problems much quicker. It is related to the → Ruffini-Horner method.

→ synthetic; → division.

The act or power of sensing with the eyes. → averted vision; → acuity of vision.

M.E., from O.Fr. vision, from L. visionem (nominative visio) "act of seeing, sight, thing seen," from p.p. stem of videre "to see," cognate with Pers. bin, present stem of didan "to see" (Mid.Pers. wyn-; O.Pers. vain- "to see;" Av. vaēn- "to see;" cf. Skt. veda "I know;" Gk. oida "I know," idein "to see;" PIE base *weid- "to know, to see").

Negâh, "look," from Mid.Pers. nikâh "look, glance, observation;" Proto-Iranian *ni-kas- "to look down," from ni- "down, below," → ni- (PIE), + *kas- "to look, appear;" cf. Av. nikā-, nikāta- (in the name of the 15-th nask) "that which is observed," ākas- "to look;" Mid.Pers. âkâh, Mod.Pers. âgâh "aware, knowing;" Skt. kāś- "to become visible, appear;" Ossetic kast/kaesyn "to look;" did, from didan "to see" (Mid.Pers. ditan "to see, regard, catch sight of, contemplate, experience;" O.Pers. dī- "to see;" Av. dā(y)- "to see," didāti "sees;" cf. Skt. dhī- "to perceive, think, ponder; thought, reflection, meditation," dādhye; Gk. dedorka "have seen").