Astronomy Reference Libraries

Spiral Galaxy -- Among the galaxies, there are apparently three main categories, according to their appearance: the disk galaxies (`cosmic frisbies' according to P. Murdin, D. Allen, and D. Malin), consisting of a huge disk of stars and interstellar matter, which may form interesting patterns, the elliptical galaxies (`cosmic footballs') which are uniformly looking, ellipsoidal agglomerations...

Solar Nebula -- In astronomy, the solar nebula is the gaseous cloud from which, in the so-called nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar system, the Sun and planets formed by condensation. In 1755 the German philosopher Immanuel Kant suggested that a nebula in slow rotation, gradually pulled together by its own gravitational force and flattened into a spinning disk, gave birth to the...

Photosphere -- The photosphere of an astronomical object is the region at which the optical depth becomes one. In other words, the photosphere is the place where an object stops being transparent. It is typically used to describe the Sun or another star. Because stars are large balls of gas, they have no solid surface. However, there is a depth at which the gas stops being transparent to...

Gas Giant -- A gas giant is a generic astronomical term invented by the science fiction writer James Blish to describe any large planet that is not composed mostly of rock or other solid matter. Gas giants may still have a solid core - in fact, it is expected that such a core is probably required for a gas giant to form - but the majority of its mass is in the form of gas (or gas compressed...

Extrasolar Planet -- An extrasolar planet is a planet orbiting around a star other than the Sun. Extrasolar planets were first discovered in the 1990s as a result of improved telescope technology, CCD and computer-based image processing which allowed far more accurate measurements of stellar motions. The first extrasolar planets were reported by the astronomer Aleksander Wolszczan in 1993,...

Extraterrestrial Life -- Extraterrestrial life is life beyond planet Earth (apart from humans travelling in space, and living organisms they bring along or send). There are many questions about extraterrestrial life, including: -- Does it exist? -- Where? -- What kind? -- Could there be non-carbon based life forms, e.g. life forms based on other elements like silicon (See Carbon...

Event Horizon -- The event horizon is a boundary beyond which information will never reach an observer. An event horizon is a mathematical construct and not a physical object and a person passing through an event horizon will not notice any odd behavior. From an outside observer however, an object passing though an event horizon will appear redder and dimmer and will appear to freeze at the...

Emission Nebula -- In astronomy, emission nebulae are clouds of ionized gas, emitting light of various colors. The most common source for ionization are high-energy photons emitted from a nearby young, hot star. Usually, a young star will ionize part of the same cloud from which it was born. Only big, hot stars can release the amount of energy required to ionize a significant part of a...

Elliptical Galaxy -- In astronomy, one of the main classes of galaxy in the Hubble classification and characterized by a featureless elliptical profile. Unlike spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies have very little gas or dust and no stars have recently formed within them. They range greatly in size from giant ellipticals, which are often found at the centres of clusters of galaxies and...

Ecliptic -- The ecliptic is the geometric plane that contains the orbit of the Earth. The orbits of most planets in the Solar System lie very close to it. Seen from the Earth, this is the great circle on the celestial sphere that contains the different positions of the Sun relative to the background stars throughout the year, and most planets can be seen close this circle. The zodiac...