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apsis

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Apsis points, or apsides, in the earth's orbit: At perihelion the earth is closest to the sun and at aphelion it is farthest from the sun. apsis (pl. apsides), point in the orbit of a body whe...

space law

(Encyclopedia)space law, agreements governing the exploration and use of outer space, developed since the first launching (1957) by humans of a satellite into space. Space law, an aspect of international law, has g...

Ban, Shigeru

(Encyclopedia)Ban, Shigeru, 1957–, Japanese architect. After graduating (1984) from the Cooper Union School of Architecture, New York City, he established (1985) a practice in Tokyo, later adding offices in Paris...

Guettard, Jean-Étienne

(Encyclopedia)Guettard, Jean-Étienne zhän-ātyĕnˈ gĕtärˈ [key], 1715–86, French geologist, botanist, and natural historian. He was curator of the natural history collection of the French scientist René de...

Gallup

(Encyclopedia)Gallup, town (2020 pop. 21,899), alt. 6,515 ft (1,986 m), seat of McKinley co., NW N.Mex., on the Puerco River near the Ariz. line; inc. 1891. It is a r...

Young, Charles Augustus

(Encyclopedia)Young, Charles Augustus, 1834–1908, American astronomer, b. Hanover, N.H., grad. Dartmouth, 1853. He discovered the reversing layer of the solar atmosphere and proved the gaseous nature of the sun's...

hurricane

(Encyclopedia)CE5 View into the eye of a hurricane showing the structure of the surrounding cloud wall hurricane, tropical cyclone in which winds attain speeds greater than 74 mi (119 km) per hr. Wind speeds gu...

isoprene

(Encyclopedia)isoprene or 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene īˈsəprēn, byo͞oˌtədīˈēn [key], colorless liquid organic compound. It is a hydrocarbon, and is insoluble in water but soluble in many organic solvents; it b...

Cope, Edward Drinker

(Encyclopedia)Cope, Edward Drinker, 1840–97, American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, b. Philadelphia, studied at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and at the Smithsonian Institution. His l...

act of God

(Encyclopedia)act of God, in law, an accident caused by the operation of extraordinary natural force. The effect of ordinary natural causes (e.g., that rain will leak through a defective roof) may be foreseen and a...