astronomy

as·tron·o·my  (-strn-m)

n. pl. as·tron·o·mies

1. The scientific study of matter in outer space, especially the positions, dimensions, distribution, motion, composition, energy, and evolution of celestial bodies and phenomena.

2. A system of knowledge or beliefs about celestial phenomena: the various astronomies of ancient civilizations.

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[Middle English astronomie, from Old French, from Latin astronomia, from Greek astronomi : astro-, astro- + -nomi, -nomy.]

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astronomy

Noun

the scientific study of heavenly bodies [Greek astron star + nomos law]

astronomer n

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astronomy  (-strn-m)

The scientific study of the universe and the objects in it, including stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies. Astronomy deals with the position, size, motion, composition, energy, and evolution of celestial objects. Astronomers analyze not only visible light but also radio waves, x-rays, and other ranges of radiation that come from sources outside the Earth's atmosphere.

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Astronomy

See also cosmology; mars; meteorites; moon; planets; sun.

aerolithology

the branch of astronomy that studies meteors.

aerolitics

the branch of astronomy that studies aerolites, or stony meteors.

albedo

the ratio between the light reflected from a surface and the total light falling upon that surface, as the albedo of the moon.

aphelion

the point in the orbit of a heavenly body where it is farthest from the sun. Cf. perihelion.

apolune

in an orbit around a moon, the point furthest from the moon. Cf. perilune.

areology

the astronomical studies of the planet Mars. — areologist, n. — areologic, areological, adj.

asterism

Rare. a constellation or small group of unrelated stars. — asterismal, adj.

astrogation

the art of navigating in space. Cf. astronavigation. — astrogator, n.

astrogeny, astrogony

the theory of the evolution of heavenly bodies.

astrogeology

a geological specialty that studies celestial bodies.

astrognosy

the branch of astronomy that studies the fixed stars.

astrography

a scientific analysis and mapping of the stars and planets. — astrographic, adj.

astrolatry

the worship of the heavenly bodies. Also called Sabaism. — astrolater, n.

astromancy

1. a form of divination involving studying the stars.
2. Rare. astrology. Also called sideromancy. — astromancer, n. — astromantic, adj.

astrometry

the branch of astronomy that studies the dimensions of heavenly bodies, especially the measurements made to determine the positions and orbits of various stars. — astrometric, astrometrical, adj.

astronautics

the science of space travel, concerned with both the construction and the operation of vehicles that travel through interplanetary or interstellar space. Also called cosmonautics. — astronautic, astronautical, adj. — astronaut, n.

astronavigation

a type of navigation involving observations of the apparent positions of heavenly bodies. Also called celestial navigation, celo-navigation. — astronavigator, n.

astronomy

the science that studies the stars and other features of the material universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere. — astronomer, n. — astronomical, adj.

astrophile

a person strongly attracted to knowledge about the stars. — astrophilic, adj.

astrophotography

a form of photography used to record astronomical phenomena.

astrophysics

the branch of astronomy concerned with the origin, and the chemical and physical nature of heavenly bodies. — astrophysicist, n.

celestial navigation

astronavigation. Also called celo-navigation.

chromatoscopy

the study of stars through a telescope in which the star appears as a ring of light, in order to observe the star’s scintillation. — chromatoscope, n.

Copernicanism

the fundamental theoretical basis of modern astronomy, first demonstrated in the early 16th century by Copernicus, who showed that the earth and the other planets orbit around the sun. Cf. Ptolemaism.

cosmolabe

Obsolete, an instrument, like an astrolabe, used for astronomical observations.

cosmonautics

astronautics. — cosmonaut. n. — cosmonautical, adj.

heliodon

an instrument used in astronomy to show the apparent movement of the sun.

heliometer

an instrument originally designed for measuring the sun’s diameter, now used for measuring the angular distance between stars.

heliometry

the practice of measuring the angular distance between stars by means of a heliometer. — heliometric, heliometrical, adj.

interlunation

the period between the old moon and the new when the moon is invisible each month. — interlunar, adj.

meridian

an imaginary great circle in the sphere of the heavens, passing through the poles and the zenith and nadir of any point and intersecting the equator at right angles. See also 178. GEOGRAPHY. — meridian, meridional, adj.

metagalaxy

the entire system of galaxies, including the Milky Way. — metagalactic, adj.

nutation

the periodic oscillation that can be observed in the precession of the earth’s axis and the precession of the equinoxes. See also 133. EARTH. — nutational, adj.

obliquity

the inclination of the earth’s equator or the angle between the plane of the earth’s orbit and the plane of the equator (23°27’). Also called obliquity of the ecliptic. See also 133. EARTH. — obliquitous, adj.

occultation

the process of one heavenly body disappearing behind another as viewed by an observer.

paraselene

a false moon, in reality a bright spot or a luminous ring surrounding the moon.

perihelion

the point in the orbit of a heavenly body where it is nearest the sun. Also spelled perihelium. Cf. aphelion.

perihelium

perihelion.

perilune

in orbit around a moon, the point nearest the moon. Cf. apolune.

phantasmatography

Rare. a work or treatise on astronomy or celestial bodies.

planetarium

1. a representation of the planetary system, particularly one in which the movements of the planets are simulated by projectors.
2. a room or building housing such an apparatus.

planetology

the branch of astronomy that studies the planets. — planetologist, n. — planetologic, planetological, adj.

planisphere

a map showing half or more of the sphere of the heavens, indicating which part is visible at what hour from a given location. — planispheric, planispherical, adj.

Ptolemaism

the complicated demonstration of Ptolemy, 2nd-century geographer and astronomer, that the earth is the fixed center of the universe around which the sun and the other planets revolve; now discredited. Cf. Copemicanism.

Ptolemaist

a supporter of the Ptolemaic explanation of planetary motions.

radioastronomy

the branch of astronomy that studies radio frequencies emitted by the sun, planets, and other celestial bodies.

Sabaism

astrolatry.

Sabianism, Sabaeanism, Sabeanism

the religion of the Sabians, a group sometimes associated with worship of the sun, moon, and stars. See also religion.

schematism

the combination or configuration of the aspects of the planets and other heavenly bodies.

selenography

the scientific analysis and mapping of the moon’s physical features. — selenographer, selenographist, n. — selenographic, selenographical, adj.

selenology

the branch of astronomy that studies the moon. — selenologist, n. — selenologic, selenological, adj.

sideromancy

a form of divination involving observations of the stars. Also called astromancy. — sideromancer, n. — sideromantic, adj.

siderophobia

an abnormal fear of the stars.

uranianism

Obsolete, astronomy.

uranography

the branch of astronomy that deals with the description of the heavens by constructing maps and charts, especially of the fixed stars. Also called uranology. — uranographer, uranographist, n. — uranographic, uranographical, adj.

uranology

1. a written description of the heavens and celestial bodies.
2. another term for astronomy.

uranometry, uranometria

1. a treatise recording the positions and magnitudes of heavenly bodies.
2. the science of measuring the real or apparent distances of heavenly bodies from Earth. — uranometrical, adj.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

astronomy - the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole uranology phase - (astronomy) the particular appearance of a body's state of illumination (especially one of the recurring shapes of the part of Earth's moon that is illuminated by the sun); "the full phase of the moon" absolute magnitude - (astronomy) the magnitude that a star would have if it were viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs (32.62 light years) from the earth Hubble law, Hubble's law - (astronomy) the generalization that the speed of recession of distant galaxies (the red shift) is proportional to their distance from the observer Kepler's law, Kepler's law of planetary motion - (astronomy) one of three empirical laws of planetary motion stated by Johannes Kepler Copernican system - (astronomy) Copernicus' astronomical model in which the Earth rotates around the sun Ptolemaic system - (astronomy) Ptolemy's model of the universe with the Earth at the center natural philosophy, physics - the science of matter and energy and their interactions; "his favorite subject was physics" astrodynamics - the branch of astronomy that studies the motion of natural and artificial bodies in space astrometry - the branch of astronomy that deals with the measurement of the position and motion of celestial bodies radio astronomy - the branch of astronomy that detects and studies the radio waves emitted by celestial bodies celestial mechanics - the branch of astronomy concerned with the application of Newton's laws of motion to the motions of heavenly bodies astrophysics - the branch of astronomy concerned with the physical and chemical properties of celestial bodies selenology - the branch of astronomy that deals with the moon solar physics - the branch of astronomy that deals with the sun ascension - (astronomy) the rising of a star above the horizon egress, emersion - (astronomy) the reappearance of a celestial body after an eclipse ingress, immersion - (astronomy) the disappearance of a celestial body prior to an eclipse alignment, conjunction - (astronomy) apparent meeting or passing of two or more celestial bodies in the same degree of the zodiac inferior conjunction - (astronomy) the alignment of the Earth and a planet on the same side of the sun superior conjunction - (astronomy) the alignment of the Earth and a planet on the opposite side of the sun Oort cloud - (astronomy) a hypothetical huge collection of comets orbiting the sun far beyond the orbit of Pluto; perturbations (as by other stars) can upset a comet's orbit and may send it tumbling toward the sun extragalactic nebula, galaxy - (astronomy) a collection of star systems; any of the billions of systems each having many stars and nebulae and dust; "`extragalactic nebula' is a former name for `galaxy'" apoapsis, point of apoapsis - (astronomy) the point in an orbit farthest from the body being orbited node - (astronomy) a point where an orbit crosses a plane equinoctial point, equinox - (astronomy) either of the two celestial points at which the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic vernal equinox - (astronomy) the equinoctial point that lies in the constellation of Pisces autumnal equinox - (astronomy) the equinoctial point that lies in the constellation of Virgo barycenter - (astronomy) the common center of mass around which two or more bodies revolve culmination - (astronomy) a heavenly body's highest celestial point above an observer's horizon limb - (astronomy) the circumferential edge of the apparent disc of the sun or the moon or a planet periapsis, point of periapsis - (astronomy) the point in an orbit closest to the body being orbited anomaly - (astronomy) position of a planet as defined by its angular distance from its perihelion (as observed from the sun) celestial latitude, dec, declination - (astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial body north or to the south of the celestial equator; expressed in degrees; used with right ascension to specify positions on the celestial sphere celestial longitude, right ascension, RA - (astronomy) the equatorial coordinate specifying the angle, measured eastward along the celestial equator, from the vernal equinox to the intersection of the hour circle that passes through an object in the sky; usually expressed in hours and minutes and seconds; used with declination to specify positions on the celestial sphere; "one hour of right ascension equals fifteen degrees"

Translations

astronomy [aesˈtrɔnəmɪ] n → astronomía

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astronomy [əsˈtrɔnəmɪ] n → astronomie f

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astronomy [əsˈtrɔnəmɪ] n → Astronomie f

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astronomy [əsˈtrɔnəmɪ] n → astronomia