Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Pollux, brightest star in the constellation Gemini; Bayer designation Beta Geminorum; 1992 position R.A. 7h44.8m, Dec. +28°03′. An orange giant of spectral class K0 III, it is the nearest giant sta...

(Encyclopedia) Regulus rĕgˈyələs [key], brightest star in the constellation Leo; Bayer designation Alpha Leonis; 1992 position R.A. 10h08m, Dec. +12°00′. A bluish-white main-sequence star of spectral class B7...

(Encyclopedia) Algol ălˈgŏl [key], famous variable star in the constellation Perseus; Bayer designation β Persei; 1992 position R.A. 3h07.7m, Dec. +40°55′. Algol's variation in apparent magnitude, from 2.06 t...

(Encyclopedia) atlas, in geography, collection of maps or charts. It usually includes data on various features of a country, e.g., its topography, natural resources, climate, and population, as well as its agricultu...

(Encyclopedia) Hadar or Beta Centauri bāˈtə sĕntôrˈē [key], bright star in the constellation Centaurus; 1992 position R.A. 14h01.7m, dec. −60°13′. A bluish-white giant of spectral class B1 II, it has an ...

(Encyclopedia) Castor kăsˈtər [key], bright star in the constellation Gemini; Bayer designation α Geminorum; 1992 position R.A. 7h34.1m, Dec. +31°54′. Slightly dimmer than Pollux, with which it forms the Twin...

(Encyclopedia) dog days, name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from...

(Encyclopedia) corona, luminous envelope surrounding the sun, outside the chromosphere. Its density is less than one billionth that of the earth's atmosphere. The corona is visible only at the time of totality durin...

(Encyclopedia)  CE5 A. Cross section of the earth, showing its shells B. Detailed cross section of the crust and upper mantle: The lithosphere consists of the hard rock in the crust and upper mantle, lying above t...

(Encyclopedia) Young, Charles Augustus, 1834–1908, American astronomer, b. Hanover, N.H., grad. Dartmouth, 1853. He discovered the reversing layer of the solar atmosphere and proved the gaseous nature of the sun's...