(Encyclopedia) Selkirk, AlexanderSelkirk, Alexandersĕlˈkərk [key], 1676–1721, Scottish sailor whose adventures suggested to Daniel Defoe the story of Robinson Crusoe (1719). In 1704, as a sailing…
(Encyclopedia) Juan de Fuca StraitJuan de Fuca Straitwän də fy&oomacr;ˈkə [key], inlet of the Pacific Ocean, 100 mi (161 km) long and 11 to 17 mi (18–27 km) wide, between Vancouver Island,…
(Encyclopedia) Bieler, ManfredBieler, Manfredmänˈfrĕt bēˈlər [key], 1934–, German dramatist and novelist. Among Bieler's plays, written for radio, are Die achte Trübsal [the eighth misery] (1960),…
(Encyclopedia) occultationoccultationŏkˌəltāˈshən [key], in astronomy, eclipse of one celestial body by another, e.g., when the moon lies between a star and the earth. Occultations of stars by the…
(Encyclopedia) SeleneSelenesəlēˈnē [key], in Greek mythology and mythology, moon goddess; daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia and sister of the sun god Helios. There was no known moon cult…
(Encyclopedia) Cunningham, Andrew Browne, 1st Viscount Cunningham of HyndhopeCunningham, Andrew Browne, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhopehīndˈhōp [key], 1883–1963, British admiral. A long-seasoned…
(Encyclopedia) cornflower, common herb (Centaurea cyanus) of the family Asteraceae (aster family). It is a garden flower in the United States but a weed in the grainfields of Europe. It is called…
(Encyclopedia) Shepard, Alan Bartlett, Jr., 1923–98, American astronaut, b. East Derry, N.H., grad. Annapolis, 1944. He served on a destroyer during World War II and later had extensive experience as…
(Encyclopedia) ephemeris time (ET), astronomical time defined by the orbital motions of the earth, moon, and planets. The earth does not rotate with uniform speed, so the solar day is an imprecise…
On November 14, 2016, the world will experience its largest supermoon since January 1948. AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert Related Links Perpetual Calendar It isn't…
