Common Space Acronyms in Astronomy and Aeronautics  by michael russell
As terminology” Space” is used in multiple ways. Space can be the vacuum surrounding the Earth, in a room, at some location, in a document, and even in abstract sense like breathing space in a speech delivered. In commercial terms also one usually comes across concepts of space economy and space utilization.
However in the modern age dominated by science and technology, its most pertinent use is in the field of Astronomy and Aeronautics. Scientifically space is always related to The Universe beyond the Planet Earth. Over hundred billion Galaxies constitute the universe. Milky Way in our own Galaxy is around 120,000 light years across and has around 200-400 billion Stars. Both astronomy and aeronautics deal with various aspects of the universe in their respective ways.
Since these two are highly technical zones; understanding the common acronyms for space used in them would be helpful. Acronyms are the words that are constructed using the first letter(s) of the words in the phrase or name.
Some common space acronyms are –
• AAS – American Astronomical Society.
• APOD – Astronomical Picture of the Day.
• CCD – Charged Coupled Device.
• ESA – European Space Agency.
• FOV- Field of View, with reference to Telescopes and binoculars.
• GRB- Gama Ray Bursts, a very high energetic phenomenon.
• HR – Hertzsprung-Russell diagram that charts the colour and luminescence of the stars.
• IAU – International Astronomical Union – the professional astronomers group worldwide.
• JPL – Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
• LMC = Large magellanic Clouds- that represents a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way.
• MACHO – Massive Compact Halo Object – component of dark matters.
• NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration of United States.
• NEO – Near Earth Object, such as the asteroids.
• PHA – Potentially Hazardous Asteroid;
• QUASAR – QUASI Stellar Radio Source
• SDSS – Sloan Digital Sky Survey – the program for searching redshifts in Sky.
• UT – Universal Time.
• WIMP – Weakly Interacting Massive Particle that is a candidate for the dark matters.
• ZHR – Zenith Hourly Rate- indicating the number of meteors seen during the meteor showers peak.
While there are many other acronyms related to space, these are some of the most widely used ones. Memorizing these common acronyms will help one understand the concept of space in astronomy as well as aeronautics quite convincingly.
About the Author
As terminology” Space” is used in multiple ways. Space can be the vacuum surrounding the earth, in a room, at some location, in a document, and even in abstract sense like breathing space in a speech delivered. In commercial terms also one usually comes across concepts of space economy and space utilization.
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