The Stars and Scopes Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Constellations Folklore Names for Full Moons Planets Moons of the Solar System

S/2000 J11	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2000.
S/2002 N1	A moon of Neptune was discovered by Matthew J. Holman and Team in 2002.
S/2002 N2	A moon of Neptune was discovered by Matthew J. Holman and Team in 2002.
S/2002 N3	A moon of Neptune was discovered by Matthew J. Holman and Team in 2002.
S/2002 N4	The outermost moon of Neptune was discovered by Matthew J. Holman, Brett J. Gladman and Team in 2003.
S/2003 J10	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2003.
S/2003 J12	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2003.
S/2003 J14	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2003.
S/2003 J15	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2003.
S/2003 J16	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Brett J. Gladman and team in 2003.
S/2003 J17	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Brett J. Gladman and team in 2003.
S/2003 J18	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Brett J. Gladman and team in 2003.
S/2003 J19	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Brett J. Gladman and team in 2003.
S/2003 J2	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David Jewitt and team in 2003.
S/2003 J23	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2004.
S/2003 J3	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2003.
S/2003 J4	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2003.
S/2003 J5	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2003.
S/2003 J9	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard and team in 2003.
S/2004 S10	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S11	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S12	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S13	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S14	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S15	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S16	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S17	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S18	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S19	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
S/2004 S7	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S8	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2004 S9	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on May 4, 2005.
S/2006 S1	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
S/2006 S2	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
S/2006 S3	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
S/2006 S4	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
S/2006 S5	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
S/2006 S6	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
S/2006 S7	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
S/2006 S8	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006.
Sagittarius	Sagittarius (The Archer) is a zodiacal constellation, that is, it lies across the ecliptic, an imaginary line across the sky that the Sun, Moon and all the planets except Pluto seem to move along. Inside the constellation are the following features: The asterism known as 'The Teapot', The center of the Milky Way Galaxy, Messier Objects like M8 (The Lagoon nebula), M17 (The Horseshoe Nebula), M20 (The Trifid Nebula). Sagittarius is frequently envisioned as a centaur shooting an arrow toward the constellation Scorpius.
Sagittita	The constellation "The Arrow"
Sap Moon	The name of the Full Moon usually in March. Specifically the Full Moon before Ecclesiastical Vernal Equinox (March 21). Sometimes known as the "Worm Moon," "Lenten Moon" or the "Crow Moon."
Saturn	Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. Saturn's diameter is 120,500 km and takes 29.46 years to orbit the Sun. Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture. In Eastern Asian cultures Jupiter is also known as the 'Earth Star.'
Saturnian	Having to do with the planet Saturn.
Schmidt-Cassegrain	A compact catadioptric telescope utilizing a fast, spherical primary mirror and a large, thin, aspheric correcting plate. The focal ratio is usually about f/10.
Scorpius	Scorpius (The Scorpion) is a zodiacal constellation, that is, it lies across the ecliptic, an imaginary line across the sky that the Sun, Moon and all the planets except Pluto seem to move along. Scorpius contain a red super giant star named Antares. Also in Scorpius are the open clusters known as the Butterfly Cluster (M6) and the Ptolemy Cluster (M7), and the globular clusters M4 and M80.
Scotopic	The human eye when dark adapted. The pupil is dilated and color detection is traded for light sensitivity.
Sculptor	The constellation "The Sculptor"
Scutum	The constellation "The Shield"
Secondary Mirror	A small mirror user to direct the incoming image from the primary system to the eyepiece in an optical system.
Secondary Spectrum	Residual chromatic aberration present in ordinary doublet lenses.
Seeing	A general term to describe the stillness or turbulence of the atmosphere. "Good Seeing" or still air will allow a distortion-free view at high magnifications, where with "Poor Seeing" or turbulent air a highly magnified view will appears to "boil." Twinkling stars is a sign of poor seeing.
Serpens	Serpens (The Serpent) is the only constellation broken into two separate areas. Serpens Caput (The Serpent's Head) is locate Northwest of the constellation Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer) and Serpens Cauda (The Serpent's Tail) is locate to the Northeast of Ophiuchus. Originally, Serpens and Ophiuchus was considered just one 'Snake-Holder' constellation. Inside Serpens Caput is the globular cluster 'M5' (Messier 5) and inside Serpens Cauda is the Eagle Nebula, an open cluster, known as 'M16' (Messier 16) or 'NGC-6611.'
Serpens Caput	Serpens Caput (The Serpent's Head) is western portion of the two-part constellation Serpens (The Serpent).
Serpens Cauda	Serpens Cauda (The Serpent's Tail) is eastern portion of the two-part constellation Serpens (The Serpent).
Servo	A power-driven mechanism that automatically controls the performance of a machine.
Setebos	A moon of Uranus was discovered by Discovered by John J. Kavelaars, Brett J. Gladman, Matthew J. Holman, Jean-Marc Petit and Hans Scholl on July 18, 1999. Setebos is also designated as "Uranus XIX" and "S/1999 U1". Setebos is the god worshipped by Caliban and Sycorax in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
Setting Circles	A pair of graduated disks on telescope mountings that simplify locating celestial objects.
Sextans	The constellation "The Sextant"
Siarnaq	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Brett Gladman in 2000 Siarnaq also is designated as "Saturn XXIX" and "S/2000 S3". In Inuit mythology, Siarnaq was the goddess of animals, especially mammals, of the sea.
Sidereal Day	A measurement of a day base on the rotation of the Earth relative to the celestial sphere. A mean sidereal day is 23 hours 56 minutes 4.1 seconds. This is opposed to a Solar day which measures the rotation of the Earth against the position of the Sun (24 hours).
Sidereal Month	A month measured by the orbit of the moon measured against the celestial sphere. The mean sidereal month is 27 days 7 hours 43 minutes 11.5 seconds.
Sidereal Time	Time measured by the daily motion of stars.
Sinope	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Seth Nicholson at Lick Observatory on July 21, 1914. Sinope is also designated as "Jupiter IX". In Greek mythology, Sinope was seized by the god Apollo and carried over to the place where later stood the city named after her.
Skadi	A moon of Saturn was discovered by the John Kavelaars in, 2000. Skadi (or Skathi) also is designated as "Saturn XXVII" and "S/2000 S8". In Norse mythology, Skadi was a mountain Giantess and the goddess of the hunt.
Sky & Telescope Rule	This is a rule for calculating a Blue Moon as the second Full Moon in a Calendar Month. This rule is named for Sky & Telescope whose 1946 article misinterpreted its own 1943 article on the definition of a Blue Moon. The original 1943 article was based on the "Maine Rule". It took 55 years for this error to be found and by then, the "Sky & Telescope" rule became popular.
Snow Moon	The name of the Full Moon usually in February. Specifically the second Full Moon after Yule (December 22 by "The Maine Rule"). Sometimes known as the "Hunger Moon."
Sol	Sol is the name of our sun, the star at the center of our solar system. It is about 4.37_10⁶ km in diameter and has a magnitude of -26.
Solar	Having to do with the Sun
Solar Calendar	Any calendar system based on the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. Our current Gregorian Calendar is a solar calendar.
Solar Filters	Filters that allow safe viewing of the sun through a telescope.
Solar Flares	A sudden temporary outburst of energy from a small area of the Sun's surface.
Solar Prominence	An eruption of relatively cool, high-density gas from the solar chromosphere into the corona.
Solar Prominence Filters	A specialized solar filter that reveals prominences by selecting the light of the hydrogen-alpha atom.
Solar Prominences	A mass of gas resembling a cloud rising from the Sun's chromosphere.
Solstice	The Solstice is a point in the Earth's orbit where the tilt of the Earth points directly toward and away from the Sun. There are two Solstices each year: In the hemisphere where the tilt is toward the Sun, that would be the Summer Solstice for the hemisphere. In the hemisphere where the tilt is away from the Sun, that would be the Winter Solstice. The Summer Solstice is the day with the least amount of nighttime and the longest amount of daytime and marks the beginning of Summer. The Winter Solstice is the day with the longest amount of nighttime and the least amount of daytime and marks the beginning of Winter. The Solstices are counter pointed by the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes.
Spectral Line	A dark or bright line at a specific wavelength in a spectrum.
Spectrohelioscope	A spectroscope equipped with a synthesizer that produces a narrow-bandpass image of the sun's disk in hydrogen-alpha, hydrogen-beta, sodium, calcium or other selected wavelengths of light.
Spectroscopy	The physics that deals with the theory and interpretation of electromagnetic radiation.
Spectrum	Separation of light into its component wavelengths.
Spherical Aberration	The failure of an optical system to focus light of a given wavelength from all parts of the objective to the same point on the optical axis.
Spiculae	A spike-like short-lived prominence appearing near the chromosphere.
Spicule	A short-lived spike-like solar prominence.
Spider	A spider is part for a secondary mirror system in a reflecting telescope to attach the secondary mirror cell to the telescope tube.
Spider Diffraction	Diffraction of light by the secondary support vanes of a reflecting telescope, resulting in bright spikes that radiate from the center of small, bright images.
Sponde	A moon of Jupiter was discovered by Scott Sheppard and team in 2001. Sponde is also designated as "Jupiter XXXVI" and "S/2001 J5". In Greek mythology, Sponde was one of the Horae (Hours), which presided over the seventh hour (libations poured after lunch). The Hours, goddesses of the time of day but also of the seasons, were daughters of Zeus and Themis.
Spreader Bar	A part of a tripod to help stabilixe the legs by forcing the legs as far apart as possible. Some spreader bar designs include a way to store extra eyepieces.
Star	A self-luminous sphere of gas.
Star Cluster	A group of hundreds or thousands of stars gravitationally bound together. There are two type of Star Clusters: "Globular Clusters" and ""Open Clusters".
Star Diagonal	An accessory that is often used on refracting and Cassegrain telescopes to bend the light cone at right angles for more comfortable viewing.
Stellar	Having to do with Stars
Stephano	A moon of Uranus was discovered by John J. Kavelaars, Brett J. Gladman, Matthew J. Holman, Jean-Marc Petit and Hans Scholl on July 18, 1999. Stephano is also designated as "Uranus XX" and "S/1999 U2". Stephano is the drunken butler in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
Strained Optics	Optics that have become pinched in their cells.
Strawberry Moon	The name of the Full Moon usually in June. Specifically the last Full Moon before the Summer Solstice (June 22 by "The Maine Rule"). Sometimes called the "Rose Moon."
Sturgeon Moon	The name of the Full Moon usually in August. Specifically the second Full Moon after the Summer Solstice (June 22 by "The Maine Rule"). Sometimes known as the "Grain Moon" or the "Green Corn Moon."
Superior Planet	A Superior Planet is a planet whose orbit lays outside the orbit of the Earth. These are: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Uranus, Neptune & Pluto.
Suttung	A moon of Saturn was discovered by Brett Gladman in 2000. Suttung, sometimes called Suttungr, also is designated as "Saturn XXIII" and "S/2000 S12". In Norse mythology, Suttung was a giant who once owned the mead of poetry.
Sycorax	A moon of Uranus was discovered by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 200-inch Hale telescope on September 6, 1997. Sycorax is also designated as "Uranus XVII" and "S/1997 U2". Sycorax is the mother of the monster character, Caliban, from William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Constellations Folklore Names for Full Moons Planets Moons of the Solar System

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The "Stars and Scopes" Glossary was compiled by Peter Ue from various sources on the internet. I tried to correct and edit as much as possible, but I can make no claim or warrenty to the information here. If you find any errors just contact me and I'll try to fix it - Thanks , Peter.

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