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

A young sheep; the meat of a young sheep.

M.E., O.E.; cognate with Du. lam, Ger. Lamm, Goth. lamb; akin to Gk. elaphos "deer."

Mid.Pers. warrag "lamb; sheep;" warân "ram;" Av. varən-; cf. Skt. uaran-; L. vervex (Fr. brebis); Arm. garn; Baluci garând "ram;" Lori, Laki veran "ram;" PIE *wrhen- "lamb."

A tiny change in the → energy levels of the → hydrogen atom between the states 2S_1/2 and 2P_1/2, which creates a shift in the corresponding → spectral lines. The 2P_1/2 state is slightly lower than the 2S_1/2 state, contrarily to the Schrodinger's solution. The difference is explained by the interaction between → vacuum energy fluctuations and the hydrogen electron in different orbitals.

Named after Willis Eugene Lamb, Jr. (1913-2008), an American physicist who discovered this effect in 1951, and won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1955 "for his discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum;" → shift.

The eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet. In lower case, λ, it denotes → wavelength. It is also used in the → Bayer designation system to identify a specific star in a → constellation. See also → lambda point.
In upper case, Λ, it represents the → cosmological constant or → dark energy.

From Phoenician lamedh.

The prototype of a small class of stars (A-F types) which have weak metallic lines (indicating that they are depleted in metals heavier than Si, but with solar abundances of C, N, O, and S). Moreover, they have moderately large rotational velocities and small space velocities. Lambda Boo stars may be pre-main-sequence objects, or they may be main sequence stars that formed from gas whose metal atoms had been absorbed by interstellar dust.

Named after the prototype, the star → Lambda (λ) of constellation → Bootes; → star.

The → standard model of → Big Bang that incorporates both → dark matter and → dark energy. See also → cold dark matter (CDM).

→ lambda, → cosmological constant; → cold; → dark; → matter; → model.

Same as → Meissa.

Lambda (λ), a Greek letter used in the → Bayer designation of star names.

The temperature (roughly 2.17 K) at which → liquid helium (→ helium I) becomes → superfluid (→ helium II).

The name was given by the Dutch physicist Willem Hendrik Keesom (1876-1956), who discovered the behavior of helium near this transition point and successfully solidified helium in 1926 (under an external pressure of 25 atmospheres). The name was originally suggested by Paul Ehrenfest (1880-1933), who was inspired by the shape of the → specific heat curve, which resembles the Gk. letter → lambda; → point.

A centimeter-gram-second (cgs) unit of luminance (or brightness) equal to 1/π candle per square centimeter. Physically, the lambert is the luminance of a perfectly diffusing white surface receiving an illuminance of 1 lumen per square centimeter.

Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728-1777), German scientist and mathematician; → law.

The intensity of the light emanating in any given direction from a perfectly diffusing surface is proportional to the cosine of the angle between the direction and the normal to the surface. Also called → Lambert's law.

→ lambert; → cosine; → law.

Same as → Lambert's cosine law.

→ lambert; → law.

A → planetary or → satellite disk with → Lambertian surface. Such a disk has the same → surface brightness at all angles.

→ lambert; → disk.

A surface whose → luminous intensity obeys → Lambert's cosine law. Such a source has a → reflectance that is uniform across its surface and uniformly emits in all directions from all its points. It appears equally bright from all viewing directions. Lambertian surface is a very useful concept for the approximation of radiant power transfer.

→ lambert; → surface.

The second brightest star in the constellation → Scorpius, lying at a distance of 570 → light-years. With → Lesath (Upsilon Scorpii) both stars make up the Scorpion's stinger. Shaula is a → multiple star with three visible → components. The first one, Lambda Scorpii A, is classified as a B2 IV → subgiant. The 15th magnitude Lambda Scorpii B has a separation of 42 arcseconds from component A, while the 12th magnitude Lambda Scorpii C is 95 arcseconds from A. It is not known whether or not these components are physically associated with component A. The component A is actually a → triple system consisting of two → B-type stars and a → pre-main sequence star.

Shaula, from Ar. ash-shaulah (الشولاء) the "raised tail" of Scorpion.