Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) will-o'-the-wisp, phenomenon known also as ignis fatuus and jack-o'-lantern. It is seen at night as a pale, flickering light over marshland. There is no generally accepted explanation for it; it may r...

(Encyclopedia) Ring nebula, planetary nebula in the northern constellation Lyra; cataloged as M57 or NGC 6720. It is perhaps the most famous and beautiful nebula of this type. Its name describes the appearance of th...

(Encyclopedia) San Lorenzo, town, S Honduras, on the Gulf of Fonseca. Its satellite, Henecán is the chief Pacific port of Honduras. Henecán's modern port facilities and deepwater harbor and channel approach were c...

(Encyclopedia) São João de Meriti souN zhwouN ᵺĭ mərēˈtĭ, də mĭrētēˈ [key], city (1990 est. pop. 508,200), Rio de Janeiro state, SE Brazil, a residential suburb northwest of the city of Rio de Janeiro....

(Encyclopedia) Thon Buri tŭn bo͝orˈē [key], district of metropolitan Bangkok, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, Thailand. It is a center of rice milling, sawmilling, and light manufacturing industries. ...

(Encyclopedia) El Centro ĕl sĕnˈtrō [key], city (2020 pop. 44,322), seat of Imperial co., SE Calif., near the ...

(Encyclopedia) Gosport gŏsˈpôrt [key], city and district, Hampshire, S England. The city is a major port ...

(Encyclopedia) chlorofluorocarbons klōrˌəflo͝orˈəkärˌbənz, klôrˌ– [key] (CFCs), organic compounds that contain carbon, chlorine, and fluorine atoms. CFCs are highly effective refrigerants that were deve...

(Encyclopedia) Mundelein mənˈdəlīn [key] village (1990 pop. 21,215), Lake co., NW of Chicago, NE Ill.; founded 1835 as Mechanics Grove, inc. 1909. The name was changed in 1926 to honor George Cardinal Mundelein....

(Encyclopedia) Margate märˈgĭt [key], city (1991 pop. 53,137), in the Isle of Thanet, Kent, SE England. It is a seaport with light industries and, since the late 18th cent., a popular resort, especially for Londo...