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

Iron that has a low carbon content, in contrast to → steel. Because it is easily magnetized and demagnetized, it is used to make the cores of → solenoids and other electrical equipment.

→ soft; → iron.

The back, muscular (not bony) part of the roof of the → mouth in front of the → pharynx.

→ soft; → palate.

An → X-ray binary system that has a long period of → quiescence interrupted by → outbursts of low-energy → soft X-rays. Alternatively known as X-ray novae, the majority (~ 75%) of SXTs contain a → black hole and a low-mass → main sequence  → companion star in orbit around one another. It is thought that SXTs arise in a similar manner to → dwarf novae, through instabilities in the → accretion disk around the → compact object (→ disk instability model).

→ soft; → X-ray; → transient..

X-ray photons with energies between about 0.1 to 10 keV. → hard X-rays.

→ soft; → X-rays.

A general term used to describe a collection of computer programs, procedures, and documentation that perform some tasks on a computer system. → hardware.

→ soft + ware, from M.E., from O.E. waru, from P.Gmc. *waro (cf. Swed. vara, Dan. vare, M.Du. were, Du. waar, Ger. Ware "goods").

Narm, → soft + afzâr "instrument, means, tool," from Mid.Pers. afzâr, abzâr, awzâr "instrument, means," Proto-Iranian *abi-cāra- or *upa-cāra-, from cāra-, cf. Av. cārā- "instrument, device, means" (Mid.Pers. câr, cârag "means, remedy;" loaned into Arm. aucar, aucan "instrument, remedy;" Mod.Pers. câré "remedy, cure, help"), from kar- "to do, make, build;" kərənaoiti "he makes" (Pers. kardan, kard- "to do, to make"); cf. Skt. kr- "to do, to make," krnoti "he makes, he does," karoti "he makes, he does," karma "act, deed;" PIE base k^wer- "to do, to make").

The overall structure of a software system consisting of mutually dependent components that create a logical whole.

→ software; → architecture.

All loose, unconsolidated earth and organic materials above bedrock that support plant growth.

M.E. soile, O.Fr. soil "piece of ground, place," from L. solium "seat," meaning confused with that of L. solum "soil, ground."

Xâk, from Mid.Pers. xâk "earth, dust," ultimately from Proto-Ir. *āika-, from *āi- "earth, soil," cf. Av. āi- "earth, soil," Gk. aia "earth, land," + suffix -ka. The initial x- is a prothesis, as in xâya "egg" (Gershevitch 1962).

The solar day on Mars, which has a mean period of 24 hours 39 minutes 35.244 seconds (based on SI units), about 2.7% longer than Earth's solar day. The Martian sidereal day, as measured with respect to the fixed stars, is 24h 37m 22.663s, as compared with 23h 56m 04.0905s for Earth.

Sol, from L. sol "sun," cognate with Pers. hur, → Sun.

Of or pertaining to the Sun.

Adjective from L. sol; → Sun.

→ solar photospheric abundance, → solar system abundance.

→ solar; → abundance.

The general term for all forms of short-lived phenomena on the Sun, including → solar flares, → sunspots, → prominences, etc., indicating that the Sun is an active star.

→ solar; → activity.

Same as the → solar cycle.

→ solar activity; → cycle.

A member of a class of unevolved or slightly evolved → Population I disk stars with an → effective temperature, degree of evolution, → metallicity, and kinematic property not very different from those of the Sun. See also → solar-like star; → solar twin.

→ solar; → analogue.

The apparent direction (in the constellation → Columbia) away from which the Sun is moving in its orbit around the center of the Galaxy. → solar apex.

→ solar; → antapex.

The point on the celestial sphere toward which the Sun is apparently moving relative to the → local standard of rest. Its position, in the constellation → Hercules, is approximately R.A. 18h, Dec. +30°, close to the star → Vega. The velocity of this motion is estimated to be about 19.4 km/sec (about 4. AU/year). As a result of this motion, stars seem to be converging toward a point in the opposite direction, the → solar antapex.

→ solar; → apex.

The angle between the Sun's → rotation axis and perpendicular to the → ecliptic plane. In other words, the inclination of the Sun's → equator with respect to the → ecliptic plane. It is 7.25 degrees.

→ solar; → axial; → tilt.

A calendar based on the apparent yearly motion of the Sun on the → celestial sphere. The year is usually reckoned with respect to the → vernal equinox, approximately for example in the case of the → Gregorian calendar and accurately in the case of the → Iranian calendar.

→ solar; → calendar.

The amount of solar radiation in all wavelengths received per unit of time per unit of area on a theoretical surface perpendicular to the Sun's rays and at Earth's mean distance from the Sun. Its mean value is 1367.7 W m^-2 or 1.37 × 10⁶ erg sec^-1 cm^-2. In other words, the solar constant is the mean → solar irradiance on the outer atmosphere when the Sun and Earth are spaced at 1 → astronomical unit. See also: → solar luminosity.

→ solar; → constant.

The outermost atmosphere of the Sun immediately above the → chromosphere, which can be seen during a total solar eclipse. It consists of hot (1-2 × 10⁶ K), extremely tenuous gas (about 10^-16 g cm^-3) extending for millions of kilometer from the Sun's surface.

→ solar; → corona.

The periodic variation in frequency or number of solar active events (→ sunspots, → prominences, → flares, and other solar activity) occurring with an interval of about 11 years. The solar cycle was discovered in 1843 by Samuel Heinrich Schwabe (1789-1875), a German apothecary and amateur astronomer, who after 17 years of observations noticed a periodic variation in the average number of sunspots seen from year to year on the solar disk. Solar cycle numbering goes back to the 18-th century, when the Cycle 1 peak occurred in 1760. Cycle 23 peaked in 2000, and the following Cycle 24 will reach its maximum in 2013.

→ solar; → cycle.