Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Einstein Observatory: see X-ray astronomy. ...

(Encyclopedia) sugarcane, tall tropical perennials (species of Saccharum, chiefly S. officinarum) of the family Poaceae (grass family), probably cultivated in their native Asia from prehistoric times. Sugarcane some...

(Encyclopedia) Grayson, David: see Baker, Ray Stannard. ...

(Encyclopedia) sucrose so͞oˈkrōs [key], commonest of the sugars, a white, crystalline solid disaccharide (see carbohydrate) with a sweet taste, melting and decomposing at 186℃ to form caramel. It is known commo...

(Encyclopedia) observatory, orbiting, research satellite designed to study solar radiation, electromagnetic radiation from distant stars, the earth's atmosphere, or the like. Because the atmosphere and other aspects...

(Encyclopedia) virtual observatory, a collection of integrated astronomical data archives and software tools that utilize computer networks to create an environment in which research can be conducted. Several countr...

(Encyclopedia) Jekyll, Gertrude, 1843–1932, British artist, landscape gardener, and crafts artist. She was associated with William Robinson and Edwin Lutyens in developing an informal and natural style of garden. ...

(Encyclopedia) molasses, sugar byproduct, the brownish liquid residue left after heat crystallization of sucrose (commercial sugar) in the process of refining. Molasses contains chiefly the uncrystallizable sugars a...

(Encyclopedia) neutron star, extremely small, extremely dense star, with as much as double the sun's mass but only a few miles in radius, in the final stage of stellar evolution. Astronomers Baade and Zwicky predict...

(Encyclopedia) beet, biennial or annual root vegetable of the family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family). The beet (Beta vulgaris) has been cultivated since pre-Christian times. Among its numerous varieties are the re...