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Bond, William Cranch

(Encyclopedia) Bond, William Cranch, 1789–1859, American astronomer, b. Portland, Maine. He early aided his father in the trades of silversmith and clockmaker in Boston. He soon became an expert in the making of c...

Lötschberg Railway

(Encyclopedia) Lötschberg Railway löchˈbĕrkh [key], electrical railroad, crossing the Bernese Alps from Thun, W central Switzerland, to Brig, on the Rhône River, S Switzerland. It passes through the Lötschberg...

amputation

(Encyclopedia) amputation ămˌpyətāˈshən [key], removal of all or part of a limb or other body part. Although amputation has been practiced for centuries, the development of sophisticated techniques for treatme...

Gezira, Al

(Encyclopedia) Gezira, Al äl jäzēˈrä [key], region, SE Sudan, occupying the tract between the White and Blue Niles south of their convergence at Khartoum. The Arabic word Gezira means “island” or “peninsu...

azimuth

(Encyclopedia) azimuth ăzˈəməth [key], in astronomy, one coordinate in the altazimuth coordinate system. It is the angular distance of a body measured westward along the celestial horizon from the observer's sou...

Herschel

(Encyclopedia) Herschel hûrˈshəl [key], family of distinguished English astronomers. Sir William Herschel,Sir William Herschel, 1738–1822, born Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel, was a great pioneer in astronomy. Bor...
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