Search

Search results

Displaying 61 - 70

albedo

(Encyclopedia) albedoalbedoălbēˈdō [key], reflectivity of the surface of a planet, moon, asteroid, or other celestial body that does not shine by its own light. Albedo is measured as the fraction of…

Encke, Johann Franz

(Encyclopedia) Encke, Johann FranzEncke, Johann Franzyōˈhän fränts ĕngˈkə [key], 1791–1865, German astronomer. He was assistant (1816–22) and director (1822–25) of the observatory at Seeberg (near…

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…

Botticelli, Sandro

(Encyclopedia) Botticelli, SandroBotticelli, Sandrosänˈdrō bôtˌtĭchĕlˈlē [key], c.1444–1510, Florentine painter of the Renaissance, whose real name was Alessandro di Mariano FilipepiBotticelli,…

week

(Encyclopedia) week, period of time shorter than the month, commonly seven days. The ancient Egyptians used a 10-day period, as did the French under the short-lived French Revolutionary calendar. In…

Rittenhouse, David

(Encyclopedia) Rittenhouse, David, 1732–96, American astronomer and instrument maker, b. near Germantown, Pa., self-educated. A clockmaker by trade, he developed great skill in the making of…

Janssen, Pierre Jules César

(Encyclopedia) Janssen, Pierre Jules CésarJanssen, Pierre Jules Césarpyĕr zhül sāzärˈ zhäNsĕnˈ [key], 1824–1907, French astronomer. In 1857–58, in Peru, he worked on the determination of the magnetic…

Gill, Sir David

(Encyclopedia) Gill, Sir DavidGill, Sir Davidgĭl [key], 1843–1914, Scottish astronomer, educated at the Univ. of Aberdeen. He made observations of the transits of Venus and Mars and investigated the…

Torres Bodet, Jaime

(Encyclopedia) Torres Bodet, JaimeTorres Bodet, Jaimehīˈmā tôrˈrās bôdĕtˈ [key], 1902–74, Mexican poet, diplomat, short-story writer, and essayist. Torres Bodet's first book of poems, Fervor (1918),…

Nash, Ogden

(Encyclopedia) Nash, Ogden, 1902–71, American poet, b. Rye, N.Y., studied at Harvard. He was popular for a wide assortment of witty and immensely quotable doggerel verses, ranging from urbane satire…