Galaxy

Galaxy

Relating to any large system of stars held together by mutual gravitation and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space.

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Galaxy

Refers to a distribution of matter (such as a cluster of galaxies) between a distant source (a background galaxy) and an observer, that is capable of bending (lensing) the light from the source, as ...

Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)

Astronomy; Galaxy

A space observation system that consists in an array of large 40-foot (12-meter) radio telescopes installed in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. The high precision telescopes, 66 initially, are ...

blue shift

Astronomy; Galaxy

A shift in the wave-length of radiation emitted by an object when it is approaching us; the Doppler shift makes the wave fronts bunch closer together, causing the light to appear of a shorter ...

Casimir effect

Astronomy; Galaxy

The attractive pressure between two flat, parallel metal plates placed very near to each other in a vacuum; the pressure is due to a reduction in the usual number of virtual particles in the space ...

stellar classification

Astronomy; Galaxy

Stars are given a designation consisting of a letter and a number according to the nature of their spectral lines which corresponds roughly to surface temperature. The classes are: O, B, A, F, G, K, ...

galactic halo

Astronomy; Galaxy

A spherical region surrounding the center of a galaxy. This region may extend beyond the luminous boundaries of the galaxy and contain a significant fraction of the galaxy's mass. Compared to ...

gravitational waves

Astronomy; Galaxy

Ripples in space-time caused by the motion of objects in the universe. The most notable sources are orbiting neutron stars, merging black holes, and collapsing stars. Gravitational waves are also ...