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Carter, Gary Edmund

(Encyclopedia)Carter, Gary Edmund, 1954–2012, American baseball player, b. Culver City, Calif. A superb catcher and clutch-hitting right-handed slugger, he played in the majors for 19 years. Drafted (1972) by the...

Adhara

(Encyclopedia)Adhara ădhârˈə [key], bright star in the constellation Canis Major; Bayer designation ε Canis Majoris; 1992 position R.A. 6h58.3m, Dec. −31°54′. A bluish-white giant (spectral class B2 II) w...

Hyades, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Hyades hīˈədēz [key], in astronomy, open star cluster in the constellation Taurus, located immediately to the right of the bright star Aldebaran. The cluster is about 130 light-years from the eart...

anise

(Encyclopedia)anise ănˈĭs [key], annual plant (Pimpinella anisum) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Mediterranean region but long cultivated elsewhere for its aromatic and medicinal qual...

Lucas, George W., Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Lucas, George W., Jr., 1944–, American film director, producer, and writer, b. Modesto, Calif. Although Lucas's first film, THX-1138 (1970), was not successful, his next two, American Graffiti (1973...

Hertzsprung-Russell diagram

(Encyclopedia)CE5 The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram shows the relation between the luminosity and surface temperature (which is related to spectral class, or color) of the stars in the Milky Way. Most stars fall a...

black hole

(Encyclopedia)black hole, in astronomy, celestial object of such extremely intense gravity that it attracts everything near it and in some instances prevents everything, including light, from escaping. The term was...

Antares

(Encyclopedia)Antares ăntârˈēz [key], brightest star in the constellation Scorpius; Bayer designation Alpha Scorpii; 1992 position R.A. 16h27.6m, Dec. −26°22′. A red supergiant of spectral class M1, Antare...

Hertzsprung, Ejnar

(Encyclopedia)Hertzsprung, Ejnar īˈnär hĕrtsˈspro͞ong [key], 1873–1967, Danish astronomer. Although trained as a chemical engineer, Hertzsprung made his career in astronomy, specializing in exacting photogr...

Hadar, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Hadar or Beta Centauri bāˈtə sĕntôrˈē [key], bright star in the constellation Centaurus; 1992 position R.A. 14h01.7m, dec. −60°13′. A bluish-white giant of spectral class B1 II, it has an ...