An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

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فرهنگ ریشه‌شناختی اخترشناسی-اخترفیزیک

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atmospheric refraction
  شکست ِ جوی  
šekast-e javvi
Fr.: réfraction atmosphérique  

The shift in apparent direction of a celestial object caused by the bending of light while passing through the Earth’s atmosphere. Since the density of the atmosphere decreases with altitude, the starlight will bend more as it continues down through the atmosphere. As a result, a star will appear higher in the sky than its true direction.

See also: → atmospheric; → refraction.