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

A meteorite which is composed mainly of iron mixed with smaller amounts of → nickel. Iron meteorites make up about 4.4% of all meteorites. See also → stony meteorite, → stony-iron meteorite.

→ iron; → meteorite.

A bump appearing in the plot of stellar → opacity versus temperature. The ionization of the heaviest → chemical elements, especially → iron, which is the most abundant heavy metal, produces a large number of weak spectral → absorption lines. These lines dominate the stellar opacity in the temperature range 10⁵-10⁶ K and furnish two local opacity peaks: a large peak around 2 × 10⁵ K and a smaller one around 1.5 × 10⁶ K (Rogers & Iglesias, 1992, ApJS 79, 507; Iglesias et al. 1992, ApJ, 397, 717).

→ iron; → opacity; → peak.

A maximum on the element-abundance curve in the vicinity of the iron → atomic number 26. The relative higher abundance of the → iron peak elements results from their being the end products of → nucleosynthesis in the interiors of → massive stars.

→ iron; → peak.

A member of a group of elements with → atomic masses A about 40 to 60 that are synthesized by the → silicon burning process and appear in the → iron peak. They are mainly: → titanium (Ti), → chromium (Cr), → manganese (Mn), → iron (Fe), → cobalt (Co), and → nickel (Ni).

→ iron; → peak; → element.

1) Using words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning; containing or exemplifying irony: an ironic novel; an ironic remark.
2) Of, pertaining to, or tending to use irony or mockery; ironical (Dictionary.com).

→ irony; → -ic.

1) The humorous or mildly sarcastic use of words to imply the opposite of what they normally mean. → ironic.
2) An instance of this, used to draw attention to some incongruity or irrationality (Dictionary.com).

From L. ironia, from Gk. eironeia "dissimulation, assumed ignorance," from eiron "dissembler," perhaps related to eirein "to speak."

Govâžé, ultimately from Proto-Ir. *ui-vac-, from *ui- prefix denoting "apart, away, out," cf. Av. vi-, O.Pers. viy-, Skt. vi- (Mod.Pers., e.g., gozidan, → select, gozaštan "to cross," → passage) + *uac- "to say, speak," → word; also govâžidan "to make irony of, to say ironically."

An → irregular galaxy that shows a hint of a spiral arm or bar, and can be placed at the far end of spirals in the → Hubble sequence.

→ irregular; → galaxy.

An amorphous, → irregular galaxy that does not appear to show any structure that can place it into the → Hubble sequence.

→ irregular; → galaxy.

The → energy at all → wavelengths that is incident on unit area of surface in unit time. It is measured in Watts per square meter.

Irradiance, from ir- variant of → in- (by assimilation) before r + radi(ant), → radiation, + -ance a suffix used to form nouns either from adjectives in -ant or from verbs.

Tâbešdâri, from tâbeš, → radiation, + dâri, verbal noun from dâštan "to have, hold," → property.

To expose something to → radiation.

→ irradiance.

Tâbeš, → radiation, dâdan "to give," → irradiation.

1) Exposure to any kind of radiation or atomic particles.
2) An optical effect that makes a bright object appear larger than it really is when viewed against a darker background.

Irradiation, from ir- variant of → in- (by assimilation) before r + → radiation.

1) Tâbešdehi, tâbešgiri;, from tâbeš→ radiation + giri verbal noun of gereftan "to take, seize" (Mid.Pers. griftan, Av./O.Pers. grab- "to take, seize," cf. Skt. grah-, grabh- "to seize, take," graha "seizing, holding, perceiving," M.L.G. grabben "to grab," from P.Gmc. *grab, E. grab "to take or grasp suddenly;" PIE base *ghrebh- "to seize"); dahi verbal noun of dâdan "to give," Mid.Pers. dâdan "to give" (O.Pers./Av. dā- "to give, grant, yield," dadāiti "he gives;" Skt. dadáti "he gives;" Gk. tithenai "to place, put, set," didomi "I give;" L. dare "to give, offer," facere "to do, to make;" Rus. delat' "to do;" O.H.G. tuon, Ger. tun, O.E. don "to do;" PIE base *dhe- "to put, to do").
2) Nurgostard, from nur, → light, + gostard past stem of gostardan "to expand; to spread; to diffuse" (Mid.Pers. wistardan "to extend; to spread;" Proto-Iranian *ui.star-; Av. vi- "apart, away from, out" (O.Pers. viy- "apart, away;" cf. Skt. vi- "apart, asunder, away, out;" L. vitare "to avoid, turn aside") + Av. star- "to spread," starati "spreads;" cf. Skt. star- "to spread out, extend, strew," strnati "spreads;" Gk. stornumi "I spread out," strotos "spread, laid out;" L. sternere "to spread;" Ger. Strahlung "radiation," from strahlen "to radiate," from Strahl "ray;" from M.H.G. strāle; from O.H.G. strāla "arrow," stripe; PIE base *ster- "to spread").

A → real number which cannot be exactly expressed as a ratio ^a/_b of two integers. Irrational numbers have decimal expansions that neither terminate nor become periodic. Every → transcendental number is irrational. The most famous irrational number is √ 2.

From ir- a prefix meaning "not," a variant of → in-, + → rational; → number.

1) Lacking symmetry, even shape, formal arrangement, etc. → irregular galaxy; → irregular variable.
2) Not according to rule, or to the accepted principle, method, course, order, etc.

From O.Fr. irregulier, from M.L. irregularis, from → in- "not" + L. regularis from regula "rule," from PIE *reg- "move in a straight line," hence, "to direct, rule" (cf. Pers. râst "right, straight;" O.Pers. rāsta- "straight, true," rās- "to be right, straight, true;" Av. rāz- "to direct, put in line, set," razan- "order;" Skt. raj- "to direct, stretch," rjuyant- "walking straight;" Gk. orektos "stretched out;" L. regere "to lead straight, guide, rule," p.p. rectus "right, straight;" Ger. recht; E. right).

Bisâmân, from bi- "not, without" + sâmân "order, arrangement, disposition; boundary, limit," Lârestâni sâmon "sign or mark separating one field from another," Gilaki, Tabari šalmân "a straight peace of wood or beam, post;" Mid.Pers. sâmânak, sahmân "limit;" loaned into Arm. sahmân; cf. Skt. sīmān-, sīmā- "boundary, border, limit."

A galaxy with no spiral structure and no symmetric shape. Irregular galaxies are usually filamentary or very clumpy in shape and tend to smaller than others. Two types of irregular galaxies are defined, → Irr I galaxy and → Irr II galaxy.

→ irregular; → galaxy.

A satellite whose orbit around its planet is eccentric, inclined with respect to the equatorial plane, and relatively far from the planet. Strong solar perturbations cause the orbit to precess. → regular satellite.

→ irregular; → satellite.

A type of variable star in which variations in brightness show no regular periodicity. There are two main types, irregular eruptive variables and irregular pulsating variables.

→ irregular; → variable.

Not relevant to or connected with what is considered.

→ in- "not;" → relevant.

Not capable of returning to an original condition. → irreversible process.

Irreversible, from ir- "not," variant of → in- + → reversible.

A physical process in which the combined → entropy of the → system and the → environment increases. During an irreversible process the system is not in equilibrium at all instances of time. Most of the processes in nature are irreversible. → reversible process.

→ irreversible; → process.

Having a constant entropy.

→ iso- + → entropy + → -ic.