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Glossary
Pages 63-69

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From page 63...
... AGN: Active galactic nuclei-The nuclei of certain galaxies harbor a compact, solar-system-sized object capable of outshining the rest of the galaxy by a factor of 100 or more. The ultimate energy source for active galaxies is now widely thought to be accretion of matter onto a massive black hole (see also blazar and quasar)
From page 64...
... Chandrasekhar mass The mass above which a white dwarf star would formally shrink to zero radius owing to its inability to counter its own gravity. CMBR: Cosmic microwave background radiation Radiation emitted approximately 100,000 years after the big bang that created the universe.
From page 65...
... The lighter stars nearer the edge of the cluster pick up velocity, increasing their likelihood of ejection from the cluster while the heavier stars continue to contract toward the center. Great Attractor A supercluster-sized enhancement of dark matter and galaxies postulated to explain observed, local perturbations of the Hubble expansion.
From page 66...
... Kerr geometry The geometry of space-time near a rotating black hole. Kuiper Belt A disk-shaped distribution of small icy bodies, extending hundreds of astronomical units beyond Neptune, believed to be the source of the short-period comets seen in the inner solar system.
From page 67...
... Neutron star The final evolutionary stage for larger stars, in which they have exhausted their thermonuclear fuel and radiate relic heat. Neutron stars are extremely dense and are supported by neutron degeneracy pressure.
From page 68...
... Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect-A temperature dip in the cosmic microwave background radiation associate with hot, x-ray-emitting gas in clusters of galaxies. Supernova A star that, due to accretion of matter from a companion star (Type Ia)
From page 69...
... VIRGO A laser gravitational wave interferometer under construction near Pisa in Italy. VLA: Very Large Array Ground-based radio interferometer, located in New Mexico and operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, consisting of 27 telescopes arranged in a Y-shaped array with arms 21 km long.


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