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

The dynamics of an ionized plasma in the non-relativistic, collisional case. In this description, charge oscillations and high frequency electromagnetic waves are neglected. It is an important field of astrophysics since plasma is one of the commonest forms of matter in the Universe, occurring in stars, planetary magnetospheres, and interplanetary and interstellar space.

From → magneto- + → hydrodynamics.

Any of a variety of devices used to measure the strength and direction of a magnetic field.

From → magneto- + → -meter.

The detection or measurement of a magnetic field, especially its strength and direction. See also → magnetometer.

→ magneto-; → -metry.

Fundamental constant, first calculated by Bohr, for the intrinsic magnetic moment of an electron. → Bohr magneton.

From → magnet + → -on.

The boundary layer between a planet's → magnetosphere and the → magnetic field of the → solar wind. It borders the → magnetosheath and is defined by the surface on which the pressure of the solar wind is balanced by that of the planet's magnetic field. The front point of the Earth's magnetopause, on the sun-ward side of the Earth, is about 10 terrestrial radii, on average. This point can be closer or farther, because the magnetopause contracts or expands depending on the intensity of the solar wind.

From → magneto- + pause "break, cessation, stop," from M.Fr. pause, from L. pausa "a halt, stop, cessation," from Gk. pausis "stopping, ceasing," from pauein "to stop, to cause to cease."

From meqnât-→ magnet + marz "frontier, border, boundary," from Mid.Pers. marz "boundary;" Av. marəza- "border, district," marəz- "to rub, wipe;" Mod.Pers. parmâs "contact, touching" (→ contact), mâl-, mâlidan "to rub;" PIE base *merg- "boundary, border;" cf. L. margo "edge" (Fr. marge "margin"); Ger. Mark; E. mark, margin.

An instability that arises from the action of a weak → poloidal magnetic field in a → differentially rotating system, such as a → Keplerian disk. The MRI provides a mechanism to account for the additional outward → angular momentum transport. To put it simply, the → frozen magnetic field line acts as a spring connecting two radially neighboring fluid parcels. In a Keplerian disk the inner fluid parcel orbits more rapidly than the outer, causing the spring to stretch. The magnetic tension forces the inner parcel to slow down reducing its angular momentum by moving it to a lower orbit. The outer fluid parcel is forced by the spring to speed up, increase its angular momentum, and therefore move to a higher orbit. The spring tension increases as the two fluid parcels grow further apart, and eventually the process runs away. The MRI was first noted in a non-astrophysical context by E. Velikhov in 1959 when considering the stability of → Couette flow of an ideal hydromagnetic fluid. His result was later generalized by S. Chandrasekhar in 1960. The MRI was rediscovered by Balbus and Hawley 1991 (ApJ 376, 214) who demonstrated that this instability does indeed manifest itself in → accretion disks, and could account for the turbulent mixing needed to explain the observed mass → accretion rates.

→ magneto-; → rotational; → instability.

The region between a planet's magnetopause and the bow shock caused by the solar wind.

From → magneto- + sheath, from O.E. sceað, scæð, from P.Gmc. *skaithiz (cf. M.Du. schede, Du. schede, O.H.G. skaida, Ger. Scheide "scabbard").

From meqnât-, → magnet, + niyâm "sheath," from Proto-Iranian *nigāma-, from ni- "down; into," → ni-, + gāma- "to go, to come" (Av. gam- "to come; to go," jamaiti "goes;" O.Pers. gam- "to come; to go;" Mod./Mid.Pers. gâm "step, pace," âmadan "to come;" cf. Skt. gamati "goes;" Gk. bainein "to go, walk, step;" L. venire "to come;" Tocharian A käm- "to come;" O.H.G. queman "to come;" E. come; PIE root *gwem- "to go, come"); cf. Skt. nigamá- "insertion, incorporation."

The region around a celestial body in which the magnetic field of the body dominates the external magnetic field. Each planet with a magnetic field (Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) has a magnetopause. The Earth's magnetosphere is a dynamic system that responds to solar variations. It prevents most of the charged particles carried in the → solar wind, from hitting the Earth. Since the solar wind is → supersonic, a → bow shock is formed on the sunward side of the magnetosphere. The solar wind ahead is deflected at a boundary called → magnetopause. The region between the bow shock and the magnetopause is called the → magnetosheath. As the solar wind sweeps past the Earth, the terrestrial magnetic field lines are stretched out toward the night side to form a → magnetotail.

From → magnet + → sphere.

The portion of a planet's → magnetosphere which is pushed away from the Sun by the solar wind. Earth's magnetosphere extends about 65,000 km on the day-side but more than 10 times further.

From → magneto- + → tail.

The factor by which the angular diameter of an object is apparently increased when viewed through an optical instrument to that of the object viewed by the unaided eye.

Verbal noun of → magnify.

A thing or device that magnifies.

From → magnify + suffix -ir.

Bozognemâ, agent noun of bozorg nemudan, → magnify.

To increase the apparent size of, as a lens does.

From O.Fr. magnifier, from L. magnificare "esteem greatly, extol," from magnificus "splendid," from magnus "great" + root of facere "to make."

From bozorg "large, magnificent, great" + nemudan "to show." The first element from Mid.Pers. vazurg "great, big, high, lofty;" O.Pers. vazarka- "great;" Av. vazra- "club, mace" (Mod.Pers. gorz "mace"); cf. Skt. vájra- "(Indra's) thunderbolt," vaja- "strength, speed;" L. vigere "be lively, thrive," velox "fast, lively," vegere "to enliven," vigil "watchful, awake;" P.Gmc. *waken (Du. waken; O.H.G. wahhen; Ger. wachen "to be awake;" E. wake); PIE base *weg- "to be strong, be lively." The second element nemudan from Mid.Pers. nimūdan, nimây- "to show," from O.Pers./Av. ni- "down; into," → ni-, + māy- "to measure," → display.
Bozorgidan infinitive from bozorg + -idan.

A lens or lens system that produces an enlarged virtual image of an object placed near its front focal point. According to Enoch (1998, SPIE vol. 3299, p. 424), the earliest lenses identified are from the IV/V Dynasties of Egypt, dating back to about 4,500 years ago (e.g., the eyes of the Louvre statue Le scribe accroupi and other examples located in the Cairo Museum). For more information see → burning sphere.

Magnifying, verbal adj. of → magnify; → glass.

Zarrebin, from zarré "a minute thing," → particle, + bin "seer; to see" (present stem of didan; Mid.Pers. wyn-; O.Pers. vain- "to see;" Av. vaēn- "to see;" Skt. veda "I know;" Gk. oida "I know," idein "to see;" L. videre "to see;" PIE base *weid- "to know, to see").

The ratio between the focal lengths of the objective and ocular in a telescope.

Magnifying, verbal adj. of → magnify; → power.

A measure of brightness in astronomy on a → logarithmic scale in which a difference of five magnitudes represents a difference of 100 times in brightness. In this scale the lower a magnitude, the brighter the object. The faintest magnitude reached by → unaided eye is 6.

From L. magnitudo "greatness, bulk, size," from magnus "great," cognate with Pers. meh "great, large" (Mid.Pers. meh, mas; Av. maz-, masan-, mazant- "great, important," mazan- "greatness, majesty," mazišta- "greatest;" cf. Skt. mah-, mahant-; Gk. megas; PIE *meg- "great") + -tudo, suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives and participles.

Borz "height, magnitude" (it occurs also in the name of the mountain chain Alborz), related to boland "high," bâlâ "up, above, high, elevated, height," berg "mountain, hill" (Mid.Pers. buland "high;" O.Pers. baršan- "height;" Av. barəz- "high, mount," barezan- "height;" cf. Skt. bhrant- "high;" L. fortis "strong" (Fr. & E. force); O.E. burg, burh "castle, fortified place," from P.Gmc. *burgs "fortress;" Ger. Burg "castle," Goth. baurgs "city," E. burg, borough, Fr. bourgeois, bourgeoisie, faubourg); PIE base *bhergh- "high"). Qadr, from Ar.

A scale for measuring and comparing the brightness of astronomical objects.

→ magnitude; → scale.

A survey in which the observed objects are bighter than a given → apparent magnitude.

→ magnitude; → limited; → volume.

The force exerted on a spinning object moving through a fluid medium in virtue of → Bernoulli's theorem. The Magnus force can deviate a football from its path when a player strikes it so that it spins about an axis perpendicular to the flow of air around it. As the spinning ball moves through the air, it will create a pressure difference between its two sides. The air travels faster relative to the centre of the ball where its periphery is moving in the same direction as the airflow. This reduces the pressure according Bernoulli's theorem. The opposite effect happens on the other side of the ball, where the air travels slower relative to the centre of the ball. There is therefore an imbalance in the forces that will curve the ball's trajectory.

Named after Heinrich Gustav Magnus (1802-1870), a German chemist and physicist; → force.

Any of various passerine birds of the genus Pica, especially Pica pica, having a black-and-white plumage, long tail, and a chattering call (Ditionary.com).

From Mag diminutive of Margaret, used to signify an excessively talkative person + pie the earlier name of the bird, from O.Fr. pie, from L. pica "magpie," feminine of picus "woodpecker."

Kaliž, variant of (Dehxodâ) kalâžé, kalâcé, qalivâš, qalivâj, (Qäyen, Gonâbâd) kaliždak, (Xorâsâni) kelidjak, (Dari Yazd) kelociri, (Bardesir) kerâcik, related to kalâq + dimunitive suffix -iž, vaeiants -iz, -ak.

Chief in size, extent, or importance; leading; → principal.

From M.E. meyn, mayn "strength, power," from O.E. mægen "power, strength, force," from P.Gmc. *maginam- "power," from *mag- "to be able, have power."

Farist, literally "foremost" (cf. Mid.Pers. frahist "main, principal, first, much"), from far-, Mid.Pers. fra-; O.Pers. fra- "forward, forth;" Av. frā "forth," pouruua- "first"; cf. Skt. pūrva- "first," pra- "before, formerly;" Gk. pro; L. pro; O.E. fyrst "foremost," superlative of fore, E. fore + -est superlative suffix, Mid.Pers. -ist, -išt-; Av. -išta-, cf. Skt. -istha-, Gk. -istos, O.H.G. -isto, -osto, O.E. -st, -est, -ost.