An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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A small, roughly spherical cloud of → interstellar dust and gas that appears as a dark compact globule when viewed against the background of an → H II region. Bok globules range in mass from about 1 to 1,000 or more → solar masses, and in size from about 10,000 → astronomical units to 3 → light-years. They typically have temperatures of around 10 → Kelvin. Bok globules are thought to represent a stage in the collapse of a dense fragment of → molecular clouds that are in the process of forming new stars. → elephant trunk.

In honor of Bart Jan Bok (1906-1983), the Dutch-American astronomer, who first observed these objects. In 1947, in collaboration with Edith F. Reilly, he put forward the hypothesis that these globules were undergoing → gravitational collapse to form new stars (Bok & Reilly, 1947, ApJ 105, 255); → globule.

A → meteor which is extremely bright, particularly one that breaks up during its passage through the → atmosphere. Also called → fireball.

Bolide, Fr., from L. bolis, bolidis, from Gk. bolis, bolidos "missile, flash of lightning," from ballein "to throw;" PIE *g^welH₁- "to throw;" → ballistics.

Garzin "arrow;" cf. Tâleši ger "meteor" (from Proto-Iranian *garH- "to throw"), cognate with Gk. ballein, as above; → ballistics.

1) An instrument for measuring the intensity of radiant energy in amounts as small as one millionth of an erg. It uses the change in resistance of a thin conductor caused by the heating effect of the radiation. → actinometer, → photometer, → pyrheliometer, → pyrometer, radiometer.
2) In astronomy, an instrument that measures the amount of radiant energy received from a celestial object.

From Gk. bole "stroke, beam of light," from ballein "to throw" + middle suffix -o- + → -meter..

Tafsanj, from taf "heat, warmth; light, brightness," from tâbidan, "→ radiate," + sanj, → -meter.

Of or relating to or measured by a → bolometer.

→ bolometer; → -ic.

The difference between the → visual magnitude and → bolometric magnitude.

→ bolometric; → correction.

The total rate of energy output of an object integrated over all wavelengths.

→ bolometric; → luminosity.

The magnitude of an astronomical object for the entire range of its electromagnetic spectrum.

→ bolometric; → magnitude.

→ Boltzmann's constant.

→ Boltzmann's constant.

The factor e^-E/kT involved in the probability for atoms having an excitation energy E and temperature T, where k is Boltzmann's constant.

→ Boltzmann's constant; → factor.

The physical constant, noted by k, relating the mean → kinetic energy of → molecules in an → ideal gas to their → absolute temperature. It is given by the ratio of the → gas constant to → Avogadro's number. Its value is about 1.380 x 10^-16erg K^-1.

Named after the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906), who made important contributions to the theory of statistical mechanics; → constant.

In → statistical thermodynamics, a probability equation relating the → entropy S of an → ideal gas to the quantity Ω, which is the number of → microstates corresponding to a given → macrostate: S = k. ln Ω. Same as → Boltzmann's relation.

→ Boltzmann's constant; → entropy; → formula.

1) An equation that expresses the relative number (per unit volume) of → excited atoms in different states as a function of the temperature for a gas in → thermal equilibrium: N_u/N_l = (g_u/g_l) exp (-ΔE/kT_ex), where N_u and N_l are the upper level and lower level populations respectively, g_u and g_l the → statistical weights, ΔE = hν the energy difference between the states, k is → Boltzmann's constant, and h  → Planck's constant.

→ Boltzmann's constant; → equation.

A relation between the → entropy of a given → state of a → thermodynamic system and the → probability of the state: S = k . ln Ω where S is the entropy of the system, k is → Boltzmann's constant, and Ω the thermodynamic probability of the state. Boltzmann's relation connects → statistical mechanics and → thermodynamics. Ω is the number of possible → microstates of the system, and it represents the → randomness of the system. The relation also describes the statistical meaning of the → second law of thermodynamics. This expression has been carved above Boltzmann's name on his tombstone in Zentralfreihof in Vienna. Same as → Boltzmann's entropy formula.

→ Boltzmann's constant; → relation.

The → attractive force that holds together neighboring → atoms in → molecules.

Bond, variant of band, from M.E. bende, O.E. bend, from O.Fr. bande, bende, PIE *bendh- "to bind" (cf. Goth bandi "that which binds;" Av./O.Pers. band- "to bind, fetter," banda- "band, tie" (see below); Skt. bandh- "to bind, tie, fasten," bandhah "a tying, bandage").

Band "band, tie," from Mid.Pers., O.Pers./Av. band- "to bind," banda- "band, tie," also present stem of bastan "to bind, shut," → shutter.

The fraction of the total amount of electromagnetic radiation falling upon a non-luminous spherical body that is reflected in all directions by that body. The bond albedo takes into account all wavelengths at all → phase angles. Compare with → geometric albedo.

Named after the American astronomer George Phillips Bond (1825-1865), who proposed it; → albedo.

The → accretion of mass by a star (assumed as point particle) moving at a steady speed through an infinite, uniform gas cloud. It is directly proportional to the star mass (M) and the medium density (ρ) and inversely proportional to the relative star/gas velocity (v). In its classical expression: 4πρ(G M)² / v³, where G is the → gravitational constant. See Bondi & Hoyle (1944, MNRAS 104, 273) and Bondi (1952, MNRAS 112, 195). For a recent treatment of accretion in a turbulent medium see Krumholtz et al. 2006 (ApJ 638, 369).

Named after Hermann Bondi (1919-2005), an Anglo-Austrian mathematician and cosmologist and Fred Hoyle (1915-2001), British mathematician and astronomer best known as the foremost proponent and defender of the steady-state theory of the universe; → accretion.

In the → Bondi-Hoyle accretion process, the radius where the gravitational energy owing to star is larger than the kinetic energy and, therefore, at which material is bound to star. The Bondi-Hoyle accretion radius is given by R_BH = 2 GM / (v² + c_s²) where G is the gravitational constant, M is the stellar mass, v the gas/star relative velocity, and c_s is the sound speed.

→ Bondi-Hoyle accretion; → radius.

A catalog of 324,188 stars in the → declination zones +89 to -01 degrees. The goal of the survey was to obtain a → position and estimated → visual magnitude for every star visible with the 78 mm → refracting telescope at Bonn. Actual → magnitude estimates were made and reported to 0.1 mag for all stars down to 9.5 mag. Positions are given to the nearest 0.1 sec in → right ascension and 0.1 arcmin in declination. The survey was carried out by Friedrich W. Argelander (1799-1875) and his assistants in the years 1852-1861.

The Ger. name means Bonn Survey.

The largest gravitationally stable mass of the → Bonnor-Ebert sphere.

After W.B. Bonnor (1956) and R. Ebert (1955); → mass.

A sphere of interstellar gas at uniform temperature in equilibrium under its own gravitation and an external pressure. The pressure of a hotter surrounding medium causes the sphere to collapse. → Bonnor-Ebert mass.

→ Bonnor-Ebert mass; → sphere.