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crater

(Encyclopedia)crater, circular, bowl-shaped depression on the earth's surface. (For a discussion of lunar craters, see moon.) Simple craters are bowl-shaped with a raised outer rim. Complex craters have a raised ce...

observatory, orbiting

(Encyclopedia)observatory, orbiting, research satellite designed to study solar radiation, electromagnetic radiation from distant stars, the earth's atmosphere, or the like. Because the atmosphere and other aspects...

Enlil

(Encyclopedia)Enlil ĕnlĭlˈ [key], ancient earth god of Sumerian origin, worshiped in Babylonian religion. With the sky god Anu and the water god Ea, he formed the great divine triad. Enlil, also referred to as B...

inferior planet

(Encyclopedia)inferior planet, planet whose orbit lies inside that of the earth. There are two inferior planets, Mercury and Venus. They always seem to be close to the sun in the sky; the greatest elongation of Mer...

Frascati

(Encyclopedia)Frascati fräskäˈtē [key], town, in Latium, central Italy. Beautifully situated in the Alban ...

free fall

(Encyclopedia)free fall, in physics, the state of a body moving solely under the influence of gravitational forces (see gravitation). A body falling freely toward the surface of the earth undergoes an acceleration ...

Marduk

(Encyclopedia)Marduk märˈdo͝ok [key], ancient god of Babylonia and chief god of the city of Babylon. His cult rose to prominence in the reign of Hammurabi, and Marduk became the omniscient king of the pantheon�...

Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich

(Encyclopedia)Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich, 1907–66, Soviet rocket designer. His role as chief designer of the Soviet space program was revealed only after his death. After he successfully launched two intercontinen...

Verkhoyansk

(Encyclopedia)Verkhoyansk vyĕrkhəyänskˈ [key], town, Sakha Republic, NE Siberian Russia, on the Yana River, near the Arctic Circle. A river port, a fur-collecting depot, and the center of a reindeer-raising are...

Last Judgment

(Encyclopedia)Last Judgment: see Judgment Day. ...