Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Guanajuato gwänähwäˈtō [key], state, 11,805 sq mi (30,575 sq km), W central Mexico, on the ...

(Encyclopedia) planetary system, a star and all the celestial bodies bound to it by gravity, especially planets and their natural satellites. Until the last decade of the 20th cent., the only planetary system known ...

(Encyclopedia) Major Planets of the Solar System ...

(Encyclopedia) nonmetal, chemical element possessing certain properties by which it is distinguished from a metal. In general, this distinction is drawn on the basis that a nonmetal tends to accept electrons and for...

(Encyclopedia)  CE5 Phases of the moon phase, in astronomy, the measure of how much of the illuminated surface of a planet or satellite can be seen from a point at a distance from that body; the term is most ofte...

(Encyclopedia) bismuth bĭzˈməth [key] [Ger. Weisse Masse=white mass], metallic chemical element; symbol Bi; at. no. 83; at. wt. 208.98040; m.p. 271.3℃; b.p. about 1,560℃; sp. gr. 9.75 at 20℃; valence +3 or ...

(Encyclopedia) planetary science or planetology, study of planets and planetary systems as a whole. Planetary science applies the theories and methods of traditional disciplines such as astronomy, geology, physics, ...

(Encyclopedia) polarography pōˌlərŏgˈrəfē [key], in chemistry, method for analyzing the composition of a dilute electrolytic solution (see electrolyte). Two electrodes are placed in the solution: One has a fi...

(Encyclopedia)  CE5 Sextant sextant, instrument for measuring the altitude of the sun or another celestial body; such measurements can then be used to determine the observer's geographical position or for other n...

(Encyclopedia) electromotive series, list of metals whose order indicates the relative tendency to be oxidized, or to give up electrons (see oxidation and reduction); the list also includes the gas hydrogen. The ele...