Science Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Z
A
Aberration
Absolute zero
Absorption
Abundance
Accelerometer
Accretion (disk, zone)
Active galactic nucleus (AGN)
Active galaxy
Aeronomy
Aerosol
Aerosol collector
Algol
Alignment
Altitude
Angstrom
Anisotropy, Inhomogeneity (in the cosmic microwave background)
Antenna (high gain, low gain)
Antimatter
Aperture
Aphelion
Apocentre
Apogee
Arcmin, arcsec
Argon
Ariane (4, 5) rockets
Asteroid
Asteroid belt
Astigmatism
Astrometry
Attitude
Astronomical Unit (AU)
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Atmosphere
Aurora
B
Baffle
Baryons
BepiColombo mission
BeppoSAX satellite
Big Bang
Big Crunch
Billion
Binary star
Black hole
Blazar
Blueshift
Bolometer
Bremsstrahlung
Brown dwarf
C
Capture orbit
Carbonaceous compounds
Cassegrain telescope
Cassini division
Cassini-Huygens mission
Cataclysmic variable
Celsius (oC)
Centaur (rocket)
Cepheid variable
Charged particles
Checkout
Chromosphere
Climatology
Closed Universe
Cluster mission
Cosmic microwave background radiation
Coast phase
Coded mask
Cold dark matter
Coma
Comet
Compton scattering (and inverse compton scattering)
Concave
Conductivity, thermal
Convection
Convection model
Convex
Core
Cornerstone
Corona
Coronal mass ejection (CME)
Coronagraph
Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite
Cosmic rays
Cosmology
Crater
Critical density
Cruise phase
Crust
Cryostat
Cygnus X-1
Cygnus X-3
D
Dark matter
Darwin mission
Data
Decaying orbit
Deep Space Network (DSN)
Density
Descent phase
Differential rotation
Diffraction grating
Diffuse X-ray background
Diode
Dispersion
Doppler shift
Drag
Dust (cosmic, interstellar)
E
Earth
Eclipse, solar
Eclipse, lunar
Ecliptic plane
Effective area
Einstein Cosmological Constant (lambda)
Electric propulsion
Electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic spectrum
Electron
Electron-positron annihilation
Electronvolt (eV)
Element
Elliptical orbit
Emission
Energy
European Space Agency (ESA)
Escape velocity
Ethane
Exobiology
EXOSAT satellite
Extinction
Extragalactic
Extravehicular
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV)
F
Facula
Fahrenheit (oF)
Field of view (FOV)
Filament
Filter (wheel)
FIRST mission
Flat Universe
Fluctuations (in the cosmic microwave background)
Fly-by
Focal plane
Focus
French Guiana
Frequency
Fusion
G
Gaia mission
Galaxy
Galaxy clusters
Gamma ray
Gamma-ray astronomy
Gamma-ray burst (GRB)
Ganymede
General Relativity
Germanium detector
Giotto mission
Granulation
Grating (transmission, reflection)
Gravitational (arc, lens)
Gravitational field
Gravitational wave
Gravity
Gravity assist
Grazing incidence
Grigg-Skjellerup (comet)
Ground segment
Guaranteed time
Gyroscope
H
Hale-Bopp (comet)
Halley (comet)
Half-energy width
Heat capacity
Heat shield
Heliocentric
Helioseismology
Heliosphere
Herschel (formerly FIRST) mission
Hertz (Hz)
Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram
Hipparcos mission
Hubble Constant
Hubble Law
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) mission
Huygens mission
Hydrazine
Hydrocarbons
Hyperbolic
I
Igneous rock
Illuminated (back/front)
Image
Imager
Imaging
Impact crater
Inclination angle
Inflationary Universe
Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS)
Infrared light
Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) mission
Injection (into orbit)
Instrument
INTEGRAL mission
Integration (satellite, instrument)
Interferometer
Interferometry
International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) emission
Interplanetary voyage
Interstellar
Ion
Isotope
Isotropy
J
Jupiter
K
K-band
Kelvin
Kourou
Kuiper Belt
L
Lagrangian points
Lander
Latch
Launch window
Launcher
Lens
Leonids
Light
Light elements
Lightning
Light-year (ly)
Line (absorption)
Luminosity
M
Mach number
Magnetic field
Magnetic force
Magnetometer
Magnetopause
Magnetosphere
Magnitude, absolute (M)
Magnitude, apparent (m)
Main sequence
Mandrel
Mantle
Manufacturing
Mars
Mars Express mission
Mass
Matter
Measurements (in-situ)
Measurements (remote)
Mercury
Meteor
Meteor shower
Meteorite
Meteoroid
Methane
Microgravity
Micron
Microwave
Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP)
Milky Way
Mirror
Module (satellite)
Molecular cloud
Monitor
Moon
Multimirror
Multi-wavelength (observations)
N
Near-Earth asteroid
Nebula
Neptune
Neutrino
Neutron
Neutron star
Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) mission
Nitrogen
Non-baryonic matter
Nova
Nuclear fusion
Nucleosynthesis
Nucleus
O
Occultation
Oort cloud
Open Universe
Opposition
Optical light (‘visible’ light)
Optics
Orbit
Orbit acquisition
Orbiter
Organics
Orientation
Ozone layer
P
Parabolic (mirror)
Parallax
Parsec (pc)
Particle(s)
Payload
Payload module
Periapsis
Pericentre
Perigee
Perihelic opposition
Perihelion
Period
Photochemistry
Photometer
Photon
Picture
Pipe-line (processing)
Pixel
Planck constant
Planck’s Law
Planck mission
Plane (focal)
Planet
Planetary nebula
Plasma
Platform
Pleiades
Plumes
Pluto
Pole
Polarisation
Positron
Prebiotic
Preliminary design review
Primaeval soup
Primary mirror
Primordial nucleosynthesis
Prism
Probe
Prominence (solar)
Proportional counter
Propulsion
Proton
Proton rocket
Protoplanetary disc
Protostellar object
Pulsar
Pyrolyser
Q
Qualification model
Quantum (theory, mechanics)
Quark
Quasar
Quick-look analysis
R
Radiation
Radiation belt (van Allen)
Radio waves
Radioactivity
Reboost
Recombination era
Red Giant
Redshift
Reduction
Reflecting telescope
Reflector
Refracting telescope
Replication
Resolution (angular, spectral)
Retrograde
Revolution
Rings (Saturn’s)
Ritchey-Chretien
Robot
Roche limit
Rocket
ROSAT satellite
Rosetta mission
Rotation
Rover
S
S-band
Sagittarius
Satellite
Saturn
Secondary mirror
Sedimentary rock
Separation (satellite)
Serendipity
Service module
Servicing mission
Seyfert (galaxy)
Shell
Shoemaker-Levy 9 (comet)
SMART-1 mission
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission
Solar array
Solar flare
Solar storm
Solar System
Solar wind
Source
Soyuz (-Fregat) rocket
Spacecraft
Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)
Space weather
Spectral class (of a star)
Spectral lines
Spectrophotometers
Spectrograph
Spectrometer
Spectrometer (Mossbauer)
Spectrometer (mass)
Spectroscopy
Spectrum
Spherical aberration
Stability (satellite)
Star
Starburst (galaxies)
Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)
Structural and thermal model
Sublimation
Submillimetre (sub-mm)
Sun
Sunspot
Sunspot cycle
Supernova
Synchrotron radiation
Systems engineering review
Swing-by
T
Telemetry
Telescope
Telescope (Wolter)
Temperature
Terrestrial planets
Testing (spacecraft)
Thermal gradient
Thrusters
Titan
Tracking
Tube
U
Uhuru satellite
Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRG)
Ultraviolet light
Ulysses mission
Universe
Uranus
V
Van Allen radiation belt
Vacuum
Venus
Visibility
Volt (V)
Voyager satellite
W
Watt (W)
Wavelength
White dwarf
Wirtanen (comet)
X
X-band
XEUS mission
XMM-NEWTON (X-ray Multi-Mirror) mission
X-ray
X-ray (hard)
X-ray (soft)
Z
Zonal wind
