array: A broad and organized group of objects. Sometimes they are instruments placed in a systematic fashion to collect information in a coordinated way. Other times, an array can refer to things that are laid out or displayed in a way that can make a broad range of related things, such as colors, visible at once. The term can even apply to a range of options or choices.
astronomy: The area of science that deals with celestial objects, space and the physical universe. People who work in this field are called astronomers.
black hole: A region of space having a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation (including light) can escape.
celestial object: Any naturally formed objects of substantial size in space. Examples include comets, asteroids, planets, moons, stars and galaxies.
cosmos: (adj. cosmic) A term that refers to the universe and everything within it.
event horizon: An imaginary sphere that surrounds a black hole. The more massive the black hole, the bigger the sphere. Anything that happens inside the event horizon is invisible, because gravity is so strong that under normal circumstances even light can’t escape. But according to some theories of physics, in certain situations small amounts of radiation can escape.
infrared: A type of electromagnetic radiation invisible to the human eye. The name incorporates a Latin term and means “below red.” Infrared light has wavelengths longer than those visible to humans. Other invisible wavelengths include X-rays, radio waves and microwaves. Infrared light tends to record the heat signature of an object or environment.
interferometry: (in optics) A technique used to measure such things as the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation and distances. It works by dividing a beam of light into two. Then, at some distance, it recombines the two rays of light back together. This creates what’s known as interference. As the two waves overlap, they create a new wave, whose size and shape reflects the patterns of the initial waves.
link: A connection between two people or things.
optical: An adjective that refers to light or vision.
radio: Referring to radio waves, or the device that receives these transmissions.
radio waves: Waves in a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. They are a type that people now use for long-distance communication. Longer than the waves of visible light, radio waves are used to transmit radio and television signals. They also are used in radar.
resolution: (in optics) A term having to do with the degree of clarity or detail with which some object can be seen. (v. resolve)
universe: The entire cosmos: All things that exist throughout space and time. It has been expanding since its formation during an event known as the Big Bang, some 13.8 billion years ago (give or take a few hundred million years).
virtual: Being almost like something. An object or concept that is virtually real would be almost true or real — but not quite. The term often is used to refer to something that has been modeled by (or accomplished by) a computer using numbers, not by using real-world parts. So a virtual motor would be one that could be seen on a computer screen and tested by computer programming (but it wouldn’t be a three-dimensional device made from metal).
visible light: A type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths that range between 380 nanometers (violet) and 740 nanometers (red). Visible light has wavelengths that are shorter than infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves but longer than ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma rays.