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Cassiopeia, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Cassiopeia, in astronomy, prominent northern constellation located almost directly opposite the Big Dipper across the north celestial pole. Five bright stars in the constellation form a rough W (or M)...

Castor, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Castor kăsˈtər [key], bright star in the constellation Gemini; Bayer designation α Geminorum; 1992 position R.A. 7h34.1m, Dec. +31°54′. Slightly dimmer than Pollux, with which it forms the Twin...

Ceres, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Ceres sîrˈēz [key], in astronomy, a dwarf planet, the first asteroid to be discovered. It was found on Jan. 1, 1801, by G. Piazzi. He took three distinct observations; on the basis of these the mat...

retrograde motion

(Encyclopedia)retrograde motion, in astronomy, real or apparent movement of a planet, dwarf planet, moon, asteroid, or comet from east to west relative to the fixed stars. The most common direction of motion in the...

Tellus

(Encyclopedia)Tellus tĕlˈəs [key], in Roman religion, earth goddess; also called Terra Mater. As a goddess of fertility, she was worshiped at festivals held in January (in conjunction with Ceres) and in April. T...

Juno, in Roman religion and mythology

(Encyclopedia)Juno, in Roman religion and mythology, wife and sister of Jupiter. In early Roman times she, like the Greek Hera (with whom she was later identified), was goddess and protector of women, concerned esp...

transit

(Encyclopedia)transit, in astronomy, passage of a body across a meridian or passage of a small body across the visible disk of a larger one. (The passage of a large body across a smaller one is called an eclipse or...

Low, Frank James

(Encyclopedia)Low, Frank James, 1933–2009, American astronomer and physicist, b. Mobile, Ala., grad. Yale (B.S. 1955), Rice Univ. (M.A. 1957, Ph.D 1959). Low, who worked at Texas Instruments and the National Radi...

Möbius, Augustus Ferdinand

(Encyclopedia)Möbius, Augustus Ferdinand mōˈbēəs, Ger. möˈbēəs [key],(1790–1868), German mathematician and astronomer, b. Schulpforta, Saxony. A professor of astronomy at the Univ. of Leipzig, he made im...

Parma, city, United States

(Encyclopedia)Parma pärˈmə [key], city (1990 pop. 87,876), Cuyahoga co., NE Ohio, a suburb S of Cleveland; settled 1816, inc. 1924. Named for the Italian city of Parma, it is residential with a large industrial ...
 

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