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

A statistics based on a → biased sample.

→ biased; → statistics.

A birefrigent crystal, such as mica, that is characterized by having two optical axes along which light is propagated with equal velocities.

Biaxial, from → bi- "two" + axial, from → axe; → crystal.

A → microwave → polarimeter designed specifically to target the → B-mode signature of → inflation in the → cosmic microwave background polarization. BICEP2 observed from the South Pole for three seasons from 2010 to 2012. This 26 cm aperture → telescope comprised an all-cold refracting optical system equipped with a → bolometer array of 512 → detectors (256 pixels) operating at 150 GHz.

BICEP2, the upgraded version of the first BICEP, short for Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization.

Describing a lens with two concave faces.

→ bi-; → concave; → lens.

A → spherical lens with two convex faces. The radii of curvature for the two surfaces may or may not be the same.

→ bi-; → convex; → lens.

A comet having a short period of 6.62 years discovered by Biela. It broke up on its 1846 return and subsequently gave rise to a spectacular meteor shower.

In honor of Wilhelm von Biela (1782-1856), Austrian military officer and amateur astronomer, who re-discovered the comet Biela in 1826, although it had been seen first in 1772. → comet.

A → meteor shower, originating from → Biela's comet, whose → radiant lies in the constellation → Andromeda; also called → Andromidids.

Bielids, From Biel(a) + → -ids suffix denoting "descendant of, belonging to the family of."

1) To divide into two branches.
2) Divided into two branches.

M.L. bifurcatus, from L. → bi- "two," + furca "pitchfork; fork used in cooking," of uncertain origin.

Dogalidan, from Gilaki dogal "fork, two-branched," cf. Tabari dekal, dokkal, doqâla, from do, → two, + gal, kal "branch, part," cf. Kurd. (Kurmanji) kar "part, piece," cognate with Pers. kârd "knife," (+ *niš-) nišgarda "cobbler's knife;" Mid.Pers. kârt "knife," karēnītan, karītan "to cut," (+ *fra-) fragard "chapter, section;" Av. karət- "to cut;" Proto-Iranian *kart- "to cut;" cf. Skt. kart- "to cut;" Gk. karpos "fruit;" L. carpere "to cut, divide, pluck;" PIE base *(s)ker- "to cut;" + -idan infinitive suffix. See also → shear.

1) A branching or division into two parts; a splitting apart.
2) A sudden qualitative change in the behavior of a → dynamical system. The equation describing the evolution of the system finds several solutions for certain values of a parameter. Systems undergoing a bifurcation do not necessarily return to their original state, even if the parameter returns to its nominal value. See also → chaos.

Verbal noun of → bifurcate.

The point or moment in the evolution of a → dynamical system that occurs if a parameter passes through a critical point. At this point the system branches into any number of qualitatively new types of behavior.

→ bifurcation; → point.

1) A theory which studies how, in certain nonlinear systems, there may be paths and shifts in behavior dependent on small changes in circumstances or the current position of the system.
2) Math.: The study of the behavior of a solution of a nonlinear problem in the neighborhood of a known solution, particularly as a parameter varies.

→ bifurcation; → theory.

Of considerable size, number, quantity, large.

M.E., northern England dialect, of unknown origin.

Bozorg, → large. Meh "great, large;" Mid.Pers. meh, mas; Av. maz-, masan-, mazant- "great, important," mazan- "greatness, majesty," mazišta- "greatest;" cf. Skt. mah-, mahant-; Gk. megas; L. magnus; PIE *meg- "great."

A theory which states that the → Universe came into existence in an "instantaneous" event some 14 billion years ago. Matter was created in that initial event and as time has gone by the Universe has expanded and the contents evolved into the galaxies and stars and of today. The Big Bang is sometimes described as an "explosion." However, matter and energy did not erupt into a pre-existing space, since they came into being simultaneously with space and time.

→ big; bang "a sudden loud noise, as of an explosion" (probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Icelandic banga "to hammer"). The term was coined by Fred Hoyle in 1950 in the course of discussions entitled "the Nature of the Universe" broadcasted by BBC. Hoyle's intention was a pejorative term in order to ridicule the theory which his own → steady state theory contested.

Meh Bâng, from meh "great, large," → big, + bâng "voice, sound, clamour," (Mid.Pers. vâng, Av. vaocanghê "to declare (by means of speech"), vacah- "word," from vac- "to speak, say," cf. Mod.Pers. vâžé "word," âvâz "voice, sound, song," Skt. vakti "speaks, says," vacas- "word;" Gk. epos "word," L. vox "voice;" PIE base *wek- "to speak").

→ Big Bang; → model.

The production of → light elements, roughly three minutes after the → Big Bang when the temperature of the → Universe dropped from 10³² K to approximately 10⁹ K. In a short time interval → protons and → neutrons collided to produce → deuterium. Most of the deuterium then fused with other protons and neutrons to produce → helium and a small amount of → tritium. The element → lithium 7 could also arise form the coalescence of one tritium and two deuterium nuclei. According to the Big Bang nucleosynthesis theory, roughly 25% of the mass of the Universe consists of helium. It also predicts about 0.01% deuterium, and even smaller quantities of lithium. These predictions depend critically on the → baryon-photon ratio. Same as → primordial nucleosynthesis.

→ Big Bang; → nucleosynthesis.

A hypothetical state of → infinite energy density representing an infinite → gravitational field and infinite → space-time curvature. The singularity arises from using Einstein's theory of → general relativity concerning gravity. We know, however, that when the density and heat become extremely large, quantum physics of gravity becomes important. Yet Einstein's equations ignore quantum effects. In other words, in certain extreme conditions, Einstein's equations do not apply.

→ Big Bang; → singularity.

→ Big Bang; → theory.

The broad continuum feature dominating the optical-ultraviolet spectra of AGNs. Most current models attribute the big blue bump to thermal emission from an optically thick accretion disk.

→ big; → blue; bump, → bump Cepheid.

The state of extremely high density and temperature into which a closed → Universe would → collapse in the distant future. If the Universe has a mass density exceeding the critical threshold, then gravity will eventually halt the expansion and cause the Big Crunch.

→ big; crunch "to crush, grind, or tread noisily; the act or sound of crunching," alteration of craunch, possibly of imitative origin.

Meh "large, big," → big; romb, → collapse, from rombidan "to collapse;" rombeš-e farjâmin "final collapase," from rombeš verbal noun of rombidan; farjâmin, → late.

A group of seven stars, an → asterism, lying inside the Northern constellation → Ursa Major. They are: → Dubhe, → Merak, → Phad, → Megrez, → Alioth, → Mizar, and → Alkaid. The group is also known as the Plough in Great Britain.

→ big; dipper a popular U.S. name for the asterism known in Britain as The Plough or Charles' Wain, from dip O.E. dyppan "immerse," from P.Gmc. *dupjanan.

Haft barâdarân "the seven brothers," from haft "seven" (Mid.Pers. haft, Av. hapta, cf. Skt. sapta, Gk. hepta, L. septem, P.Gmc. *sebun, Du. zeven, O.H.G. sibun, Ger. sieben, E. seven; PIE *septm) + barâdarân, plural of barâdar "brother" (Mid.Pers. brad, bardar, O.Pers./Av. brātar-, cf. Skt. bhrátar-, Gk. phrater, L. frater, P.Gmc. *brothar; PIE base *bhrater- "brother").
Haftowrang, Mid.Pers. haptôiring, from Av. haptôiringa- "with seven marks," from hapto- "seven,"as above, + iringa- "mark," cf. Skt. linga- "mark, token, sign."
Camcé "a spoon, ladle; a wooden bowl or cup;" bozorg "big, large."