(Encyclopedia) Selkirk, AlexanderSelkirk, Alexandersĕlˈkərk [key], 1676–1721, Scottish sailor whose adventures suggested to Daniel Defoe the story of Robinson Crusoe (1719). In 1704, as a sailing…
(Encyclopedia) occultationoccultationŏkˌəltāˈshən [key], in astronomy, eclipse of one celestial body by another, e.g., when the moon lies between a star and the earth. Occultations of stars by the…
(Encyclopedia) SeleneSelenesəlēˈnē [key], in Greek mythology and mythology, moon goddess; daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia and sister of the sun god Helios. There was no known moon cult…
Krystyna Choynowski-Liskiewicz of Poland was the first woman to sail around the world solo. She accomplished this feat on March 28, 1976. Ellen MacArthur…
(Encyclopedia) Cunningham, Andrew Browne, 1st Viscount Cunningham of HyndhopeCunningham, Andrew Browne, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhopehīndˈhōp [key], 1883–1963, British admiral. A long-seasoned…
(Encyclopedia) cornflower, common herb (Centaurea cyanus) of the family Asteraceae (aster family). It is a garden flower in the United States but a weed in the grainfields of Europe. It is called…
(Encyclopedia) ephemeris time (ET), astronomical time defined by the orbital motions of the earth, moon, and planets. The earth does not rotate with uniform speed, so the solar day is an imprecise…
(Encyclopedia) Shepard, Alan Bartlett, Jr., 1923–98, American astronaut, b. East Derry, N.H., grad. Annapolis, 1944. He served on a destroyer during World War II and later had extensive experience as…
On November 14, 2016, the world will experience its largest supermoon since January 1948. AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert Related Links Perpetual Calendar It isn't your imagination…
(Encyclopedia) Williams, Ephraim, 1715–55, American soldier, founder of Williams College, b. Newton, Mass. After several years as a sailor, he lived in Massachusetts and took part in defending the…
