Astronomical Dictionary Page #4

Hubble

Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953) American astronomer known for seminal work in modern cosmology....

Hummocky

Uneven; describing a terrain abounding in irregular knolls, mounds, or other small elevations....

Hyperion

In Greek mythology, a Titan, son of Uranus and Gaea. Husband of Theia and father of Eos (the Dawn). ...

Inclination

1 The smaller of the dihedral angles formed by the intersection of the orbital plane of one body wit...

Inferior Conjunction

Conjunction of an inner planet with the Sun, when the planet is between the Earth and the Sun. In ...

Inferior Planets

The minor planets, those whose orbits are within that of the Earth: viz.: Mercury and Venus. v. Plan...

Iapetus

In Greek mythology, a son of Uranus and Gaea. Father of Atlas, Epimetheus, Menoetius, and Prometheus...

Ida

In Greek mythology, the mountain on Crete where Zeus spent his childhood....

Igneous rock

Rock solidified from a molten state....

Imbrium

Mare Imbrium - Latin for "Sea of Rains"....

Io

In Greek mythology, a young woman seduced by Zeus, who then transformed her into a heifer to protect...

Ishtar

In Babylonian mythology, goddess of love and war. Ruler of the Moon, as well as the morning and even...

Ithaca

A Greek island, home of Odysseus....

Jovian

Of or relating to the planet Jupiter....

Jupiter

Planet fifth in order from the sun. In Roman mythology, ruler of the gods. (Greek name, Zeus)....

Kuiper

Gerard Peter Kuiper (1905-1973) American astronomer born in The Netherlands. Studied the origin of t...

Light Year

The distance that light can travel in one year. Tnisis equal to about 5.84 trillion miles (9.47 Tril...

Limb

The outer edge of the disc of a celestial body. The leading limb of an object is termed the precedi...

Luminosity

Absolute brightness. The rate at which a star emits radiant energy. It is expressed as a multiple of...

Lunation

The period between successive New Moons. The term also refers to the synodic month or period between...

Lakshmi

In Indian mythology, the goddess of all forms of wealth. The reverence for cows in Hindu India is ba...

Leverrier

Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877) French astronomer who performed the calculations that pred...

Lineament

A linear topographic feature, such as a fault line, aligned volcanoes, or straight stream course....

Loki

In Scandinavian mythology, a mischievous trickster, thief and slanderer. ...

Magnetosphere

The region of space in which a planet's magnetic field dominates that of the solar wind. ...