Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

434 results found

Castor, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Castor kăsˈtər [key], bright star in the constellation Gemini; Bayer designation α Geminorum; 1992 position R.A. 7h34.1m, Dec. +31°54′. Slightly dimmer than Pollux, with which it forms the Twin...

Proteus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Proteus prōˈtēəs, –tyo͞os [key], in astronomy, one of the natural satellites, or moons, of Neptune. ...

Puck, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Puck, in astronomy, one of the natural satellites, or moons, of Uranus. ...

Rhea, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Rhea, in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn V (or S5), Rhea is 950 mi (1530 km) in diameter, orbits Saturn at a mean distance of 327,487 mi (527,...

ring, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)ring, in astronomy, relatively thin band of rocks and dust and ice particles that orbit around a planet in the planet's equatorial plane. All four of the giant planets in the solar system—Jupiter, S...

Pollux, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Pollux, brightest star in the constellation Gemini; Bayer designation Beta Geminorum; 1992 position R.A. 7h44.8m, Dec. +28°03′. An orange giant of spectral class K0 III, it is the nearest giant sta...

Orion, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Orion, in astronomy, constellation located on the celestial equator. It is one of the most conspicuous and easily recognizable constellations in the entire sky. From ancient times it has been mentione...

Pegasus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Pegasus pĕgˈəsəs [key], in astronomy, northern constellation lying SW of Andromeda and SE of Cygnus. It is named for the mythological winged horse Pegasus. The constellation is easily recognized b...

Perseus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Perseus, in astronomy, northern constellation lying E of Cassiopeia and N of Taurus. It contains the bright star Mirfak (Alpha Persei) and Algol (Beta Persei), a visible variable star of the type know...

Venus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Venus, in astronomy, 2d planet from the sun; it is often called the evening star or morning star and is brighter than any object in the sky except the sun and the moon. Because its orbit lies between ...