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Science Glossary

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A

   Aberration

   Absolute zero

   Absorption

   Abundance

   Accelerometer

   Accretion (disk, zone)

   Active galactic nucleus (AGN)

   Active galaxy

   Aeronomy

   Aerosol

   Aerosol collector

   Algol

   Alignment

   Altitude

   Angstrom

   Anisotropy, Inhomogeneity (in the cosmic microwave background)

   Antenna (high gain, low gain)

   Antimatter

   Aperture

   Aphelion

   Apocentre

   Apogee

   Arcmin, arcsec

   Argon

   Ariane (4, 5) rockets

   Asteroid

   Asteroid belt

   Astigmatism

   Astrometry

   Attitude

   Astronomical Unit (AU)

   Astronomy

   Astrophysics

   Atmosphere

   Aurora

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B

   Baffle

   Baryons

   BepiColombo mission

   BeppoSAX satellite

   Big Bang

   Big Crunch

   Billion

   Binary star

   Black hole

   Blazar

   Blueshift

   Bolometer

   Bremsstrahlung

   Brown dwarf

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C

   Capture orbit

   Carbonaceous compounds

   Cassegrain telescope

   Cassini division

   Cassini-Huygens mission

   Cataclysmic variable

   Celsius (^oC)

   Centaur (rocket)

   Cepheid variable

   Charged particles

   Checkout

   Chromosphere

   Climatology

   Closed Universe

   Cluster mission

   Cosmic microwave background radiation

   Coast phase

   Coded mask

   Cold dark matter

   Coma

   Comet

   Compton scattering (and inverse compton scattering)

   Concave

   Conductivity, thermal

   Convection

   Convection model

   Convex

   Core

   Cornerstone

   Corona

   Coronal mass ejection (CME)

   Coronagraph

   Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite

   Cosmic rays

   Cosmology

   Crater

   Critical density

   Cruise phase

   Crust

   Cryostat

   Cygnus X-1

   Cygnus X-3

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D

   Dark matter

   Darwin mission

   Data

   Decaying orbit

   Deep Space Network (DSN)

   Density

   Descent phase

   Differential rotation

   Diffraction grating

   Diffuse X-ray background

   Diode

   Dispersion

   Doppler shift

   Drag

   Dust (cosmic, interstellar)

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E

   Earth

   Eclipse, solar

   Eclipse, lunar

   Ecliptic plane

   Effective area

   Einstein Cosmological Constant (lambda)

   Electric propulsion

   Electromagnetic radiation

   Electromagnetic spectrum

   Electron

   Electron-positron annihilation

   Electronvolt (eV)

   Element

   Elliptical orbit

   Emission

   Energy

   European Space Agency (ESA)

   Escape velocity

   Ethane

   Exobiology

   EXOSAT satellite

   Extinction

   Extragalactic

   Extravehicular

   Extreme ultraviolet (EUV)

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F

   Facula

   Fahrenheit (^oF)

   Field of view (FOV)

   Filament

   Filter (wheel)

   FIRST mission

   Flat Universe

   Fluctuations (in the cosmic microwave background)

   Fly-by

   Focal plane

   Focus

   French Guiana

   Frequency

   Fusion

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G

   Gaia mission

   Galaxy

   Galaxy clusters

   Gamma ray

   Gamma-ray astronomy

   Gamma-ray burst (GRB)

   Ganymede

   General Relativity

   Germanium detector

   Giotto mission

   Granulation

   Grating (transmission, reflection)

   Gravitational (arc, lens)

   Gravitational field

   Gravitational wave

   Gravity

   Gravity assist

   Grazing incidence

   Grigg-Skjellerup (comet)

   Ground segment

   Guaranteed time

   Gyroscope

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H

   Hale-Bopp (comet)

   Halley (comet)

   Half-energy width

   Heat capacity

   Heat shield

   Heliocentric

   Helioseismology

   Heliosphere

   Herschel (formerly FIRST) mission

   Hertz (Hz)

   Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram

   Hipparcos mission

   Hubble Constant

   Hubble Law

   Hubble Space Telescope (HST) mission

   Huygens mission

   Hydrazine

   Hydrocarbons

   Hyperbolic

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I

   Igneous rock

   Illuminated (back/front)

   Image

   Imager

   Imaging

   Impact crater

   Inclination angle

   Inflationary Universe

   Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS)

   Infrared light

   Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) mission

   Injection (into orbit)

   Instrument

   INTEGRAL mission

   Integration (satellite, instrument)

   Interferometer

   Interferometry

   International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) emission

   Interplanetary voyage

   Interstellar

   Ion

   Isotope

   Isotropy

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K

   K-band

   Kelvin

   Kourou

   Kuiper Belt

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L

   Lagrangian points

   Lander

   Latch

   Launch window

   Launcher

   Lens

   Leonids

   Light

   Light elements

   Lightning

   Light-year (ly)

   Line (absorption)

   Luminosity

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M

   Mach number

   Magnetic field

   Magnetic force

   Magnetometer

   Magnetopause

   Magnetosphere

   Magnitude, absolute (M)

   Magnitude, apparent (m)

   Main sequence

   Mandrel

   Mantle

   Manufacturing

   Mars

   Mars Express mission

   Mass

   Matter

   Measurements (in-situ)

   Measurements (remote)

   Mercury

   Meteor

   Meteor shower

   Meteorite

   Meteoroid

   Methane

   Microgravity

   Micron

   Microwave

   Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP)

   Milky Way

   Mirror

   Module (satellite)

   Molecular cloud

   Monitor

   Moon

   Multimirror

   Multi-wavelength (observations)

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N

   Near-Earth asteroid

   Nebula

   Neptune

   Neutrino

   Neutron

   Neutron star

   Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) mission

   Nitrogen

   Non-baryonic matter

   Nova

   Nuclear fusion

   Nucleosynthesis

   Nucleus

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O

   Occultation

   Oort cloud

   Open Universe

   Opposition

   Optical light ('visible' light)

   Optics

   Orbit

   Orbit acquisition

   Orbiter

   Organics

   Orientation

   Ozone layer

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P

   Parabolic (mirror)

   Parallax

   Parsec (pc)

   Particle(s)

   Payload

   Payload module

   Periapsis

   Pericentre

   Perigee

   Perihelic opposition

   Perihelion

   Period

   Photochemistry

   Photometer

   Photon

   Picture

   Pipe-line (processing)

   Pixel

   Planck constant

   Planck's Law

   Planck mission

   Plane (focal)

   Planet

   Planetary nebula

   Plasma

   Platform

   Pleiades

   Plumes

   Pluto

   Pole

   Polarisation

   Positron

   Prebiotic

   Preliminary design review

   Primaeval soup

   Primary mirror

   Primordial nucleosynthesis

   Prism

   Probe

   Prominence (solar)

   Proportional counter

   Propulsion

   Proton

   Proton rocket

   Protoplanetary disc

   Protostellar object

   Pulsar

   Pyrolyser

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Q

   Qualification model

   Quantum (theory, mechanics)

   Quark

   Quasar

   Quick-look analysis

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R

   Radiation

   Radiation belt (van Allen)

   Radio waves

   Radioactivity

   Reboost

   Recombination era

   Red Giant

   Redshift

   Reduction

   Reflecting telescope

   Reflector

   Refracting telescope

   Replication

   Resolution (angular, spectral)

   Retrograde

   Revolution

   Rings (Saturn's)

   Ritchey-Chretien

   Robot

   Roche limit

   Rocket

   ROSAT satellite

   Rosetta mission

   Rotation

   Rover

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S

   S-band

   Sagittarius

   Satellite

   Saturn

   Secondary mirror

   Sedimentary rock

   Separation (satellite)

   Serendipity

   Service module

   Servicing mission

   Seyfert (galaxy)

   Shell

   Shoemaker-Levy 9 (comet)

   SMART-1 mission

   Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission

   Solar array

   Solar flare

   Solar storm

   Solar System

   Solar wind

   Source

   Soyuz (-Fregat) rocket

   Spacecraft

   Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)

   Space weather

   Spectral class (of a star)

   Spectral lines

   Spectrophotometers

   Spectrograph

   Spectrometer

   Spectrometer (Mossbauer)

   Spectrometer (mass)

   Spectroscopy

   Spectrum

   Spherical aberration

   Stability (satellite)

   Star

   Starburst (galaxies)

   Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

   Structural and thermal model

   Sublimation

   Submillimetre (sub-mm)

   Sun

   Sunspot

   Sunspot cycle

   Supernova

   Synchrotron radiation

   Systems engineering review

   Swing-by

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T

   Telemetry

   Telescope

   Telescope (Wolter)

   Temperature

   Terrestrial planets

   Testing (spacecraft)

   Thermal gradient

   Thrusters

   Titan

   Tracking

   Tube

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U

   Uhuru satellite

   Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRG)

   Ultraviolet light

   Ulysses mission

   Universe

   Uranus

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V

   Van Allen radiation belt

   Vacuum

   Venus

   Visibility

   Volt (V)

   Voyager satellite

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W

   Watt (W)

   Wavelength

   White dwarf

   Wirtanen (comet)

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X

   X-band

   XEUS mission

   XMM-NEWTON (X-ray Multi-Mirror) mission

   X-ray

   X-ray (hard)

   X-ray (soft)

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Z

Zonal wind

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Last update: 18 September 2001