Space exploration began with the launch of Sputnik and Astrophysics was born as the application of physics to the phenomena observed by Astronomy, which etymologically means laws of the stars.
There are 2759 entries in this glossary.| Term | Definition |
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| Dawes’ Limit |
An empirical formula devised by William Rutter Dawes 1799-1868 for the minimum angular separation of a close pair of star images detectable as double by a telescope of a particular aperture - its resolving power. The rule assumes that observing conditions are good and that the two stars are not of very different brightness. It gives a separation in arc seconds of 11.6/D, where D is the diameter of the telescope aperture in centimetres. If D is in inches, the formula is 4.6/D.
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