Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

backgammon

(Encyclopedia)backgammon băkˈgămˌən, băkˌgămˈən [key], game of chance and skill played by two persons upon a specially marked board divided by a space, called the bar, into two tables (inner table and out...

Brahic, André Fernand

(Encyclopedia)Brahic, André Fernand, 1942–2016, French astrophysicist, b. Paris. He was introduced to astrophysics by Evry Schatzman, a leading French theoretician, and obtained his doctorate from the Univ. of P...

transcendentalism , in philosophy

(Encyclopedia)transcendentalism, in philosophy, term descriptive of systems that hold that there are modes of being and principles of existence beyond the reach of mundane experience and manipulation. The term is n...

Truth or Consequences

(Encyclopedia)Truth or Consequences, city (1990 pop. 6,221), seat of Sierra co., SW N.Mex., on the Rio Grande between the Black Range (W) and Jornada del Meurto desert basin (E); inc. 1916 as Hot Springs, renamed 1...

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 ...

ultraviolet astronomy

(Encyclopedia)ultraviolet astronomy, study of celestial objects by means of the ultraviolet radiation they emit, in the wavelength range from about 90 to about 350 nanometers. Ultraviolet (UV) line spectrum measure...

Philipse Manor

(Encyclopedia)Philipse Manor, colonial estate of Frederick Philipse, confirmed by a royal charter (1693), extending from the present North Tarrytown, N.Y., to the present Bronx, with the Hudson River on the west an...

Ross Sea

(Encyclopedia)Ross Sea, arm of the Pacific Ocean, Antarctica, between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land. It was discovered in 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross, a British explorer. Ross Island with Mt. Erebus, an active...

Sidoarjo mudflow

(Encyclopedia)Sidoarjo mudflow or Lusi [Lumpur Sidoarjo, Bahasa Indonesia, = Sidoarjo mud], mud volcano, Sidoarjo regency, central East Java prov., Indonesia, 20 mi (30 km) S of Surabaya. In May, 2006, a hot mu...

prospecting

(Encyclopedia)prospecting, search for mineral deposits suitable for mining. Modern prospecting has replaced earlier methods based on chance or superstition (e.g., use of the divining rod) with others based on a sci...