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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| Geminga |
A powerful gamma-ray source in the constellation Gemini discovered in 1972 by the orbiting observatory SAS Small Astronomy Satellite 2. Weak X-rays from Geminga were detected by the Einstein Observatory and its optical counterpart appears as a twenty-fifth magnitude star. Geminga is thus a very unusual object in that it emits almost all its energy as gamma rays; the X-ray emission is a thousand times weaker and its luminosity in visible light a thousand times weaker again. It is thought to be relatively close, probably within 700 light years.
Observations made by ROSAT confirmed the X-ray emission and showed it to be pulsating with a period of about a quarter of a second. Gamma-ray pulsations have also been detected by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Geminga thus appears to be a gamma-ray and X-ray pulsar. Why the bulk of its radiant energy is emitted in such a high-energy form is not known.
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