INDEX 635Boldface page numbers indicate defi nitions
of key terms.
A
Absolute zero, 127
Absorption lines, 130, 132
Absorption spectra, 130, 132
Absorption spectrum, photosphere, 144
Acceleration, 79
Acceleration of gravity, 77
Accidental discovery, 528
Accretion, 409
Achondrites, 553 , 556
Achromatic lenses, 102 , 103
Active optics, 108, 111
Active regions, 155, 157
Adams, John Couch, 539
Adaptive optics, 108 , 112
Airy, George, 539
Albedo, 437 –438
Earth, 428, 437–438
Jupiter, 496
Mars, 477
Mercury, 455
moon, 443
Neptune, 540
Saturn, 511
Uranus, 529
Venus, 465
Alfonsine Tables, 55, 60, 62, 63
Aliens, 596. See also Intelligent life
Allen, Paul, 596
Allende meteorite, 555
Allen Telescope Array, 115
Altazimuth mountings, 108, 111
Amazonian period, 488
Amino acids, 583, 584
Anaximander, 53
Andromeda Galaxy, 181
Angstrom, 100
Angular diameter, 18
moon’s, 38–39
sun’s, 39
Angular momentum, 83
Angular momentum problem,
399 , 413
Annular eclipse, 39 –41
Anorthosite, 450 –451
Antarctica, 552
Anticoded, 595
Aphelion, 24
Apogee, 39
Apollo-Amor objects, 562 –563, 578
roots of, 50–57
why study, 7–8
Atmosphere
Io and, 507–508
Jovian planets and, 495
of Jupiter, 498, 500–501
of Mars, 478–481
moon and, 443–444
of Neptune, 539–540
primeval/secondary, 433
of Saturn, 512
stars, 147–148
sun, 143–148
Terrestrial planets and, 426–427
of Uranus, 528–529
of Venus, 466–467
Atmosphere, Earth
albedo and, 437–438
climate/human effects on, 436–439
gases in, 436
global warming and, 437–438
misconceptions about, 436, 437, 438
origin of, 433, 436
ozone and, 436, 438–439
Atmospheric windows, 101
Atom(s). See also Nuclear fusion; Particles
atomic spectra and, 130, 132–133
Balmer thermometer and, 130–131
carbon, 582–583
electron shells, 124–125
excitation of, 126–127
kinds of, 124
model of, 123–124
origins of, 397
quantum mechanics and, 124, 125
AU. See Astronomical unit
Auroras, 160, 163
Autumnal equinox, 23B
Babcock model, 158 –159
Balmer spectral lines, 130, 133 , 134–135
Balmer thermometer, 130–131
Barred spiral galaxies, 177, 178
Barringer Crater, 574
Basalt, 432, 434
Belt-zone circulation, 495 , 498, 501
Betelgeuse, 13
Big bang, 181
atoms and, 397
evidence supporting, 181
universe origin in, 181–182
Binding energy, 124Apollo missions
landing locations of, 449–450
list of, 449
LM and, 445, 448–449
motivations for, 445
Apparent visual magnitude (mv), 15
Archaea, 591 –592
Archaeoastronomy, 50
Mayans and, 52
Stonehenge/Newgrange and, 50, 51
Sun Dagger and, 50, 52
Temple of Isis/hogans and, 50
Arc minutes/seconds, 18
Arecibo radio telescope, 595
Ariel, 537
Ariel 1, 118
Aristarchus, 54
Aristotle, 54, 77
Asterisms, 13
Asteroids
Barringer Crater and, 574
belt, 559, 562
classifi cation of, 561
cratering on, 559, 560
double objects and, 559, 561
families of, 564
geological activity and, 561, 565
impacts of, 574–578
Jupiter’s gravitation and, 562, 563
misconceptions about, 401
origin/history of, 563–565
outside main belt, 562–563
properties of, 559, 560–561
size/shape regarding, 559
solar system and, 401, 404
Trojan, 563
Tunguska event and, 574–575
2004 MN4, 578
types of, 564–565
Astrobiology, 582 .See also Biological
evolution
life on earth and, 586–592
nature of life and, 582–586
other planetary systems and, 594
solar system and, 593
Astronomia Nova (Kepler), 64
Astronomical unit (AU), 4
Astronomy
Archaeoastronomy, 50–52
Copernican revolution infl uencing, 58–61
of Greece, 52–55
modern, 71–72
Ptolemaic universe and, 55, 57Index