by George Rhee
Blackbody curve or spectrumThe distribution over wavelengths or frequencies of the energy radiated by a blackbody
Blackbody radiationThe energy radiated by a blackbody
Cepheid variableA particular type of pulsating star, whose period of pulsation is related to its luminosity
BosonOne of the two fundamental classes of subatomic particles, the other being fermions. In contrast to fermions, bosons with the same energy can occupy the same place in space. Photons are examples of bosons
COBEThe Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), was a satellite dedicated to cosmology. Its goals were to investigate the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) of the universe
Cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB)The relic, blackbody radiation from the early Universe, currently at a temperature of 2.725 K
Cosmic WebStars are organized into galaxies, which in turn form clusters and superclusters that are separated by immense voids, creating a vast foam-like structure known as the cosmic web
Cosmological constantA constant that enters the equations of general relativity
Dark matterUnidentified, nonluminous matter
Dark Matter HaloA hypothetical component of a galaxy, which extends beyond the edge of the visible galaxy and dominates the total mass
Dark energyGeneric name for the unknown energy postulated to give rise to the acceleration of the Universe and possibly to the cosmological constant
DeuteriumA one-electron atom whose nucleus contains one neutron and one proton
Doppler shiftThe change in frequency or wavelength of sound or radiation when either the emitter or the observer (or both) is in motion
Electromagnetic radiationThe energy emitted (radiated) either by microscopic systems when they decay from a higher to a lower energy level or when a charged particle changes its velocity
Electromagnetic spectrumThe entire range of wavelengths or frequencies over which radiant energy occurs
ElectronA negatively charged point particle, about 2,000 times lighter than a proton
ESAThe European Space Agency established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 19 member states
FermionGeneric name for certain types of particles, of which electrons, protons, neutrons, and quarks are examples
FrequencyThe repetition rate (number of recurrence times per second) of a periodic system
GalaxyA very large collection of stars and gas held together by gravity
Gravitational forceThe force between bodies due exclusively to their possessing mass
Gravitational lensingThe bending of light due to the warping or distortion of space by a massive object such as a quasar or galaxy
HadronA baryon or a meson
HeliumThe second lightest element in nature and the only one to have been discovered in the sun before it was discovered on earth
Herschel Space ObservatoryAn ESA satellite launched in 2009 that covers the entire range from far-infrared to submillimeter wavelengths. It studies otherwise invisible dusty and cold regions of the cosmos, both near and far
Hertzprung-Russell diagramA diagram on which stars are placed according to the values of their luminosities and temperatures
Homogeneous (homogeneity)The property wherein no location can be distinguished from any other
HSTThe Hubble Space Telescope; a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. The 2.4-m aperture telescope observes in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared
Hubble LawAlmost all galaxies appear to be moving away from us. This is observed as a redshift of a galaxy’s spectrum. The redshift is larger more distant galaxies. The recession velocity is observed to increase porportionaly to the distance, a correlation known as Hubble’s Law
Hydrogen atoman atom containing a single electron and one proton in its nucleus
IonAn atom or molecule in which electrons have been added or subtracted
InflationA theory postulating that the Universe increased enormously in size in a very short time very early in its history
IsotopeA nucleus differing from another only by the number of neutrons it contains
IsotropyThe property wherein no direction can be distinguished from any other
JWSTThe James Webb Space Telescope is a large, infrared optimized space telescope. The project is working to a 2018 launch date. Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy
KelvinThe unit in which absolute temperatures are measured
LSSTThe Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. It can detect faint objects with short exposures. Taking more than 800 panoramic images each night, it can cover the sky twice each week
LeptonThe generic name for any member of the family of electrons and neutrinos, plus their antiparticles
Light year Approximately 10 13: km, the distance light travels in 1 year
Lyman-alpha LineA specific ultra violet spectral line created by hydrogen which occurs when a hydrogen electron falls from its second to lowest energy level
Lyman Break GalaxiesStar-forming galaxies at high redshift that are selected using the differing appearance of the galaxies in several imaging filters
LuminosityThe energy per second radiated by a hot object, typically a star or galaxy
Main SequenceThe broad band of stars running from upper left to lower right on the Hertzprung-Russell diagram
MassThe quantity of matter in a body
MegaparsecOne million parsecs
NeutrinoAn almost massless, neutral particle that is emitted when a neutron decays into it, a proton and an electron
NeutronA neutral particle found in most nuclei; it is slightly heavier than a proton
Neutron starA stellar end stage that can occur after a supernova explosion; the stellar remnant consists entirely of neutrons
NovaA short-lived explosive event that occurs on the surface of a white dwarf star when it accretes matter from a red giant companion star
Nucleus (nuclei)The tiny, central core of an atom; it is composed of protons and (other than in the case of hydrogen) neutrons
ParallaxA method for determining distance by observing an object from two vantage points separated by a known distance and then measuring the angle between the lines of sight to the object. One half of this angle is the angle of parallax
Parsec3.26 light years, which is the distance from the earth to an object whose angle of parallax is 1 s of arc
PeriodThe time it takes for an orbiting or other type of repeating/oscillating system to return to any point in its path
PhotonThe massless, particle-like, discrete bundle or quantum of energy that constitutes electromagnetic radiation
PlanckA space observatory of the European Space Agency (ESA) designed to observe the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) over the entire sky, at a high sensitivity and angular resolution
PlasmaA state of matter consisting of electrically charged particles and photons
PositronThe antiparticle to an electron
Primordial nucleosynthesisFormation of very light nuclei in the early Universe
ProtonA positively charged particle found in all nuclei, slightly less massive than a neutron
QuarkOne of a class of fundamental objects that are currently believed to be the only constituent of neutrons and protons
QuasarThe supermassive black hole at the center of a highly luminous galaxy
RecombinationThe formation of neutral atoms from protons and electrons(mainly hydrogen) in the early Universe, thereby allowing photons to flow freely
Red giantA large volume, low (surface) temperature stage into which a star of roughly the suns mass evolves from the Main Sequence phase of its life
RedshiftThe increase in wavelength of radiation emitted when the source, the observer, or both are receding from each other
Redshift parameterA quantity that measures t
he fractional change in wavelength of the radiation emitted by an object receding from the earth; it is denoted by the symbol z
ReionizationAn event, initiated by the first galaxies and quasars, in which ultraviolet photons are absorbed by hydrogen atoms, breaking them up into their constituent protons and electrons
Scale factorThe single length that characterizes a homogeneous, isotropic universe
SKAThe Square Kilometer Array will be the worlds largest and most sensitive radio telescope. Construction is scheduled to start in 2016
SupernovaA violent stellar event in which an enormous amount of energy is radiated
SDSSThe Sloan Digital Sky Survey. This survey carried out with a 2.5 m telescope, obtained deep, multi-color images covering more than a quarter of the sky and created 3-dimensional maps containing more than 930,000 galaxies and more than 120,000 quasars
SWIFTA NASA satellite dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst science. Its three instruments work together to observe the bursts and afterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical wavebands
VLAThe Very Large Array is a radio telescope consisting of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico
WavelengthThe smallest spatial distance between similar points on the oscillations of a periodic system
WMAPThe Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe was a NASA mission that launched June 2001 and made measurements of numbers fundamental to cosmology
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Index
A
Adams, John
Alpher, Ralph
Andromeda galaxy
halo
Andromeda nebula
astronomical surveys
B
Baade, Walter
baryon abundance
basic research
value of
Bessel, Friedrich
big bang
idea of
black body radiation
black holes
at the centers of galaxies
brown dwarfs
Bruno, Giordano
bullet cluster
C
Casimir, Hendrik
Cepheid
clusters of galaxies
and the virial theorem
Coma cluster
mass from gravitational lensing
COBE satellite
computer simulations
including gas
initial conditions
N-body models
of galaxy formation
state of the art
Virgo consortium
Copernicus, Nicolaus
cosmic background radiation
brightness variations
discovery
prediction
spectrum
WMAP
cosmic web
Curtis, Heber
D
dark ages, the
dark energy
dark matter
nature of
neutrinos
de Sitter, Willem
Decadal Survey, funding priorities
Descartes, Rene
deuterium
abundance of
formation of
Digges, Thomas
Dirac, Paul
Doppler shift
dwarf galaxies
detection of
star formation
ultra faint dwarfs
E
Einstein, Albert
element abundances
ESO Extremely Large Telescope
expansion of the universe
discovery of