Space Terms

Charge-coupled device or CCD is a device wherein an electrical charge is received and transferred to another area where it can be manipulated such as converting it into a digital value. This charge-couple device can be used as an imaging device with the use of image sensors. Its silicon surface is sensitive to light.

The Chandrasekhar limit is the value at which the mass of bodies composed by electron-degenerated matter is restricted. These bodies consist of nuclei, which are immersed in a gas of electrons. The limit is about 1.4 solar masses. This is the reason why white dwarfs, which are made up of electron-degenerate matter are unable to

The celestial sphere is an imaginary surface on which astronomical objects are located. Its center is the center of the Earth. However, the celestial sphere is too large in proportion to Earth’s size making its center considered as the same point of the observer. It is used in describing the location and movement of the

The celestial pole is an imaginary point where the axis of the Earth on which it rotates is intersecting the presumed rotating spheres of the stars. There are two celestial poles namely the north and the south. The former appears directly overhead at the North Pole of our planet and the latter is at the

Telescopes are made in such a way that its reflecting system continues to be improved. The mirrors are used in combination with the lens, which use both reflective and refractive properties of a system to form images called catadioptric. Catadioptric telescopes are special types of telescopes that combine the process of a refraction and reflection

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are electrified, magnetic clouds of gases with up to 1 billion degrees Celsius, hurled into space by the sun. They are also called solar eruptions, ejected from the solar corona. They are thrown with tremendous speeds of up to 2000 kilometers per second.

Cataclysmic variables are two stars, a binary star system, rotating with each other. However, one of the stars is a white dwarf and the other is a normal star. In space, cataclysmic variables look like a yoyo with a big handle.

Cassegrain Telescope Photo by: Wikimedia, Creative Commons To enjoy and view the stars, galaxies, and planets, you need a powerful telescope. It isn’t the ones pirates use in the high seas, but those that are as big as buses. So, what is a Cassegrain telescope?

When a meteoroid or any other outer space debris falls to Earth, it is called a meteorite. The stones that are recovered from the impact are truly out-of-this world, because of their differences in the chemical composition when compared from rocks in this planet. Some of these meteorites are called chondrites.

Carbon stars are gigantic stellar masses similar to red giants, but their atmosphere contains more carbon than oxygen. They are rare and they are so big they can swallow whole planets in our Solar System, indicating an advanced stage of evolution. Yes, stars too have different phases in their infinitesimal billion-year lifetime.