While numbers play a primary role in the quantification of science, words are pushed to their limit to explain the hunches, hypotheses, theories, and rare certainties of the study of reality. In that capacity, meanings are often stretched, or new ones found – in our glossary, you will find words with special or arcane definitions. We love words for their specificity and poetry . . . but we love honesty more.
Too often, in the popularization of science, half truths are told – we mean to avoid that at all costs – and uncertain science too often makes up words to cloud meaning: when reading science (especially on the web) be aware that new bafflegab is often employed to mask uncertain grasp of nuanced concepts. In our view, it never makes understanding easier to obscure unknowns or paper over contradictions ( a good example being the particle / wave ambivalence of light.) Best to say, 'we simply don't know.'
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This special WORDS TAB will stay open, and if you click for another definition back in the main Sunspot site, the nbew result will appear here – but your browser may not open this page, so you'll need to remember to click the WORDS tab to see it. | | Astronomers are scientists who study the stars. With astrophysicists (who study the way stars and associated bodies work) they work at the cutting edge of human knowledge because our technology allows them to use satellites and high tech instruments. A good science to be in right now . . .
dwarf star : any star with low to average mass, size, and brightness
empirical : Important science word: based on direct observation, experience, or scientific experiment rather than on pure theory, logic, or guesswork. If something is empirical, it can be tested, measured, and verified in the real world.
exoplanet : a planet orbiting a star other than our Sun.
fission : the process where an atom’s nucleus splits into smaller parts. This releases a huge amount of energy.
the grid : All the transmission lines and assosciated infrastructure that carries electricity from source to users, from generators to homes and factories.
insolation : the sunlight falling on a given place. Some places are blessed with more insolation than others. The term is a portmanteau of incoming solar radiation. Insolation drives Earth’s weather, ocean currents, and climate, and is typically measured in kilowatt-hours per square meter (kWh/m 2).
kinetic : in motion, from the Greek kin?tikos, which means 'of motion'. In physics, applied to the power of moving objects.
moon : We tend to forget that our Moon isn't the only moon in our solar system. Moons are bodies in orbit around planets; planets are bodies in orbit around stars. And stars have their own relationships with galaxies.
orbit : The path a moon or planet follows around its planet or star. The orbit and speed are mathematically determined by the masses of the two bodies. In the case of a planet with multiple moons like Jupiter, each moon’ orbit is also influenced by the other moons.
photovoltaic : Literally, volts from protons. Often abbreviated PV, these panels are increasingly the most cost effective and trouble free sources of electricity. The photovoltaic effect takes place in a complex sandwich of metals, where photons whack electrons loose, creating holes‘.
potential : having the capacity to develop, achieve, or become something in the future. In physics, applied to energy, it refers to the ability to do work.
quantum : the smallest possible discrete unit of any physical property, such as energy or light – for example, a photon. Quantum mechanics describes how nature works at an atomic and subatomic level.
radiation : the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. It occurs naturally from the sun, rocks, and space, or artificially through machines and radioactive elements, playing a major role in physics, medicine, and daily life.
rigorous : comes from the latin rigor meaning stiffness, and is an important word in science. It means extremely thorough, careful, or strict.
sensor chips : CCDs (Charge-coupled devices) and CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductors) are the light sensitive semiconductor arrays in your phone and electronic camera that convert light projected on them through a lens into the digital signal that is in turn rendered as an image file.
systematic : another important science concept: doing things according to a fixed plan, method, or organized system. ‘Doing science’ means pursuing an inquiry in an orderly, efficient, thorough, replicable way rather than randomly.
terawatts : a unit of power equal to one trillion watts (10 12 watts), abbreviated TW. Commonly used to measure large-scale energy production, total planetary power consumption, or massive electrical grids. A terawatt is 1,000 Gigawatts (GW). A Gigawatt is 1,000 kilowatts, and a kilowatt is 1,000 watts. And what’s a watt? A small amount of power; a typical small LED bulb uses 5 to 7 watts. Electricity is usually reckoned in watt-hours, so the LED lighted for an hour consumes between 5 and 7 watt-hours.
terrestrial : literally, 'taking place on Earth's surface' but note the presence of Terra, the ancient Roman Earth Goddess. Many scientists, and especially great ones, are deeply schooled in ‘the Classics’ and are poets at heart.
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