Space Terms

The crust is the outermost shell of a planet or the moon. The crust of the planet Earth is composed of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. It covers the softer and denser mantle. It is divided into oceanic and continental crust.

The coronagraph mask refers to the disk or devise in the telescope that actually block out the light from the star. There are several types of advanced coronagraph masks incorporating the latest advances in optics and digital technology.

A coronagraph is a device attached to a telescope. This device is designed to block out the light made by star in order to see its corona as well as other stellar bodies that cannot be seen due to the light of the star. The coronagraph basically operates in the same principle as an eclipse.

In astronomy, corona is used to refer to the outer most area of the sun. In layman’s terms the corona is the proper name for the sun’s atmosphere. While significantly different from planetary atmospheres that refer to the air or gases that surround the planet due to gravity, the sun’s corona is generally held to

The core is generally the inner most or central area in a body. In stellar bodies such as stars, the core refers to the inner most region of the star. The same applies to planets and even galaxies. While a core conceptually refer to the middle most or central area, the core may not always

Convection is the circular movement in a liquid when it is in a non-uniform temperature which is based on gravity and the difference in its density. While convection is generally most noticeable in liquids the same movement applies to gases. In astronomy convection generally refer to the movement of gases due to heat and gravity.

Constellation refers to the different patterns or figures made by the certain alignments and positions of stars of various magnitudes in the night sky. Although this definition has become obsolete, astronomers and many people still use the term today.

Conjunction, also known as appulse, a term used to describe the appearance of two celestial bodies as if they are near each other in the sky when viewed from a third body (usually the Earth). There are many causes why this phenomenon can be observed from time to time. In case of two planets, it

The middle part enclosed by the surrounding envelope called coma is known to be the comet nucleus. It is mainly composed of ice, rock and some gaseous particles such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide enclosed in a crust. It is sometimes called as the “Dirty Snowball” because of its characteristics.

Collimation refers to the adjustment of the different parts of the telescope, specifically its optical elements to correct the alignment on their intended optical axis so that it can provide the viewer with the best images possible, thus, improving the over-all performance of the telescope.