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In the orbit of a solar-system body, the point where the body crosses the ecliptic from south to north: for a star, out of the plane of the sky toward the observer.
Industry:Astronomy
An optical surface with departures in shape from a perfect sphere in order to cancel optical imperfections or aberrations.
Industry:Astronomy
A sparsely populated grouping (mass range 102-103 Msun) of very young, massive stars lying along a spiral arm of the Milky Way, whose spectral types or motions in the sky indicate a common origin. The star density is insufficient for gravitation to hold the group together against shear by differential galactic rotation, but the stars have not yet had time to disperse completely. OB associations are composed of stars of spectral types O-B2; T associations have many young T Tauri stars. The internationally approved designation for associations is the name of the constellation followed by an arabic numeral - e.g., Perseus OB2.
Industry:Astronomy
a group of bright stars which form a conspicuous pattern on the celestial sphere
Industry:Astronomy
Also called planetoids or minor planets, the asteroids are tiny planets most of which orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The largest - and the first discovered - is Ceres, with a diameter of 1,003 km. It is estimated that there may altogether be no fewer than 40000. A few have very elliptical orbits and cross the orbits of several other (major) planets. One or two even have their own satellites (moons.)
Industry:Astronomy
A region of space lying between Mars (1.5 AU) and Jupiter (5.2 AU), where the great majority of the asteroids are found. None of the belt asteroids have retrograde motion.
Industry:Astronomy
1) Divination using the positions of the planets, the Sun and the Moon as seen against the stars in the constellations of the zodiac - a "science" almost as old as homo sapiens. Although at one stage in history astrology and astronomy were almost synonymous- the latter has advanced so far during the last three centuries that the two now bear little relation to each other.
2) The belief that human affairs and people's personalities and characters are influenced by (or encoded in) the positions of the planets.
Industry:Astronomy
The branch of astronomy that deals with measuring the positions of celestial objects, especially stars. Astrometrists measure parallaxes and proper motions, which allow astronomers to determine the distances and velocities of the stars.
Industry:Astronomy
The time and azimuth at which a celestial body crosses the astronomical horizon of an oberver.
Industry:Astronomy
