An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

The → Balmer series spectral line of hydrogen which results from → atomic transition between the → energy levels 2 and 3. It has a wavelength of 656.4 nm and falls in the red region of the visible spectrum.

H, symbol of → hydrogen; alpha (α), the first letter of Gk. alphabet.

The → Balmer series spectral line of hydrogen which results from → atomic transition between the → energy levels 2 and 4. It has a wavelength of 486.1 nm and falls in the → blue region of the → visible spectrum.

H, symbol of → hydrogen; beta (β), the second letter of Gk. alphabet.

Same as → Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

Short for → Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

A unit used to express the strength of average → far ultraviolet (FUV) intensity in the → interstellar radiation field. It is equal to 1.2 × 10^-4 erg cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1 = 1.6 × 10^-3 cm^-2 s^-1 = 10⁸ photons cm^-2 s^-1.

Named after Harm Habing, a pioneer in this field (Habing, H. J., 1968, Bull. Astr. Netherlands 19, 421).

In → exobiology, having a → temperature range within which → liquid water can exist on the surface of a → planet.

M.E., from O.Fr. habitation, from L. habitare "to live, dwell," frequentative of habere "to have, to hold, possess," from PIE base *ghrebh- "to seize, take, hold, have, give, receive" (cf. Mod.Pers. gereftan "to take, seize;" Mid.Pers. griftan; O.Pers./Av. grab- "to take, seize;" Skt. grah-, grabh- "to seize, take," graha "seizing, holding, perceiving;" M.L.G. grabben "to grab," from P.Gmc. *grab, E. grab "to take or grasp suddenly"); → zone.

Zistpazir, from zist, → life, + pazir "admitting, accepting, having," → -able.

A zone around a → star where the → temperature would be in the range 0-100 °C to sustain → liquid water on the surface of rocky planets (or sufficiently large moons). Water is thought to be a necessary component to the → formation and evolution of Earth-type life. This zone depends on the parent star's luminosity and distance; it will be farther from hotter stars. A more accurate definition of HZ needs to include other factors, such as orbital → eccentricity, heat sources other than stellar irradiation, and atmospheric properties. Same as → circumstellar habitable zone; → ecosphere.

→ habitable; → zone.

A type of intense dust storm that blows in the deserts of North Africa and Arabia, particularly severe in areas of drought.

Haboob, from Ar. habub (هبوب) "a wind which blows hard and raises the dust."

A blue-white → giant star of → spectral type B1 III with a visual magnitude of V = 0.61 lying in the constellation → Centaurus. It lies at a distance of 350 → light-years and is the eleventh brightest star of the night sky. Also called → Agena

Hadar, from Ar. haZâr (حضار) "white camel."

Any elementary particle which experiences the strong nuclear force. There are two sorts of hadrons: mesons, which have zero spin, and baryons, which have spin 1/2 or 3/2.

Hadron, from Gk. hadr(os) "thick, bulky" + -on a suffix used in the names of subatomic particles (gluon, meson, neutron), quanta (photon, graviton), and other minimal entities or components (magneton).

The interval lasting until some 10^-5 seconds after the Big Bang when the Universe was dominated by radiation and its temperature was around 10¹⁵ kelvins. It is preceded by → Planck era and followed by → lepton era.

→ hadron; → era.

Of or related to → hadrons.

→ hadron; → -ic.

Ordinary matter composed of → hadrons.

→ hadronic; → matter.

An experiment performed in 1971 using four atomic → cesium clocks transported in jet airplanes eastward and westward around the Earth to verify the → time dilation predicted by the theory of → special relativity.

J.C. Hafele and R. E. Keating, 1972, Science 177, 166; → experiment.

A transition metal found in zirconium ores. This silvery, ductile metal is used in control rods for nuclear reactors and in tungsten filaments and electrodes. Symbol: Hf; Atomic mass: 178.49; Atomic number: 72; melting point 2230°C; boiling point 4602°C.

Hafnium, from N.L. Hafn(ia) "Copenhagen" + -ium. Hafnium was first observed by the French chemist Georges Urbain in 1911 in rare earth samples. Subsequently, the Danish physicist Nils Bohr predicted hafnium's properties using his theory of electronic configuration of the elements.

A dimensionless number characterizing the importance of → viscous force in a → forced flow.

named after the German hydraulic engineer Gotthilf H. L. Hagen (1797-1884); → number.

The interference fringes seen with thick plates near normal incidence.

W. K. von Haidinger (1798-1871), Austrian mineralogist and geologist; → fringe.

A showery precipitation in the form of nearly spherical or irregular → pellets of ice having a diameter of up to 50 mm or more. Hail is associated with → thunderstorm cells that have strong currents of rising air and relatively great → humidity content. Hail can only form in cumulonimbus clouds. Water droplets, after the formation, freeze and begin to fall downward through the cloud, but the wind blows them back upward. As the droplets begin to fall back down again, they collect more water which also freezes, so the drop becomes bigger. Then the wind blows them back up again. This occurs several times, but eventually the frozen droplets become too big and heavy and fall as hail. See also → sleet.

From M.E. haghel, hayl; O.E. hægl, hagol; cf. O.H.G. hagal, Ger. Hagel "hail;" probably from PIE *haghlo- "pebble"; cf. Gk. kakhlex "round pebble;" Pers. Lori hogela "(big) stone."

Tagarg, from *takaraka, *tancaraka- "dense, condensed," from Proto-Ir. base *tanc- "become narrow, dense, constrict," cf. Pers. tanjidan, "to squeeze, → compress," tang "narrow, constricted;" Shahmirzadi tāž/tižd; Sariqoli tož/tižd "to pull, drag;" Pashto tat "close, thick;" Skt. tanákti "it coagulates," takrá- "buttermilk;" M.Irish techt "coagulated;" Lith. tánkus "thick;" PIE *tenk- "to twist together, become thick" (H. W. Bailey, 1979).

1) Any of the numerous fine filaments growing from the skin of humans or animals.
2) A mass or aggregate of hairs covering the human head. The mean diameter of human hair is about 100 μm (from 17 to 181 μm)
3) An outgrowth of the epidermis of a plant.
→ crosshairs; → no hair theorem; → Berenice's Hair.

M.E. heer; O.E. hær; cf. O.H.G. har, Du. haar, Ger. Haar "hair;" PIE base *kaisaro- "hair," from *ker(s)- "to bristle;" cf. Skt. kesara- "hair, mane (of a horse or lion)."

Mu(y) "hair;" Mid.Pers. môy "hair."
Gis, gisu, from Mid.Pers. ges, gesuk "hair, lock, tress," Av. gaêsa- "curly hair," gaêsav-, gaêθav- "curly, curly-haired," cf. Gk. kaite "bushy hair, mane," O.Ir. gaiset, PIE *ghaites "curly hair."

1) In a cathode-ray tube, the glow surrounding a bright spot that appears on the fluorescent screen as the result of the screen's light being reflected by the front and rear surfaces of the tube's face.
2) The effect in which a halo appears around the image of a bright object recorded on a photographic film or plate. It is produced by the fan-like pattern of light reflected through the emulsion by the medium's backing material.

Halation, from hal(o), → halo + -ation a combination of -ate and -ion, used to form nouns from stems in -ate.

Hâlegiri, from hâlé, → halo + giri, verbal noun of gereftan "to take, seize" (Mid.Pers. griftan, Av./O.Pers. grab- "to take, seize," cf. Skt. grah-, grabh- "to seize, take," graha "seizing, holding, perceiving," M.L.G. grabben "to grab," from P.Gmc. *grab, E. grab "to take or grasp suddenly;" PIE base *ghrebh- "to seize").

The leader and → follower spots have opposite polarities on either side of the equator. This reverses after the ~11 year → solar cycle. Also called Hale-Nicholson's law.

Named after George Ellery Hale (1868-1938), American astronomer; → law.