Science Files

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Currenly filed:

A basic map of the Alpha Quadrant. (50 Planets)

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PLANETARY CLASSIFICATION TABLE

CLASS A GEOTHERMAL
AGE 0 - 2 billion years
DIAMETER 1000 - 10000km
LOCATION Ecosphere/Cold Zone
SURFACE Partially Molten
ATMOSPHERE Primarily Hydrogen Compounds
LIFE-FORMS None
EXAMPLE(S) Gothos



CLASS B GEOMORTEUS
AGE 0 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 1000 - 10000km
LOCATION Hot Zone
SURFACE Partially Molten
ATMOSPHERE Tenuous, few chemically active gases
LIFE-FORMS None
EXAMPLE(S) Mercury



CLASS C GEOINACTIVE
AGE 2 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 1000 - 10000km
LOCATION Ecosphere/Cold Zone
SURFACE Low Surface Temperature
ATMOSPHERE Frozen
LIFE-FORMS None
EXAMPLE(S) Pluto, Psi 2000



CLASS D ASTEROID/MOON
AGE 2 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 100 - 1000km
LOCATION Located in any zone, primarily in the orbit of a planet or within an asteroid field
SURFACE Barren and cratered
ATMOSPHERE None or very tenuous
LIFE-FORMS None
EXAMPLE(S) Moon (Sol IIIa), Lunar V(Bajor VIIe)



CLASS E GEOPLASTIC
AGE 0 - 2 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE Molten, High Surface Temperatures
ATMOSPHERE Hydrogen compounds and reactive gases
LIFE-FORMS Carbon-Cycle (Excalbian)
EXAMPLE(S) Excalbia



CLASS F GEOMETALLIC
AGE 1 - 3 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE Volcanic Eruptions due to Molten Core
ATMOSPHERE Hydrogen Compounds
LIFE-FORMS Silicon-Based (Horta)
EXAMPLE(S) Janus IV



CLASS G GEOCRYSTRALLINE
AGE 3 - 4 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE Still Forming
ATMOSPHERE Carbon Dioxide, some toxic gases
LIFE-FORMS Primitive single-celled organisms
EXAMPLE(S) Delta Vega



CLASS H DESERT
AGE 4 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 8000 - 15000km
LOCATION Hot Zone/Ecosphere/Cold Zone
SURFACE Hot and Arid, little or no surface water
ATMOSPHERE May contain heavy gases and metal vapors.
LIFE-FORMS Silicon-Based (Horta)
EXAMPLE(S) Janus IV



CLASS I GAS SUPERGIANT
AGE 2 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 140,000 - 10 Million km
LOCATION Cold Zone
SURFACE Tenuous, Comprised of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen compounds; radiates heat.
ATMOSPHERE Zones vary in temperature, pressure and composition.
LIFE-FORMS Unknown
EXAMPLE(S) Q'tahl



CLASS J GAS GIANT
AGE 2 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 50000 - 140000km
LOCATION Cold Zone
SURFACE Tenuous, Comprised of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen compounds; radiates heat.
ATMOSPHERE Zones vary in temperature, pressure and composition.
LIFE-FORMS Hydrocarbon Based (Jovian)
EXAMPLE(S) Jupiter, Saturn



CLASS K ADAPTABLE
AGE 4 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 5000 - 10000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE Barren, little or no surface water
ATMOSPHERE Thin, mostly carbon dioxide
LIFE-FORMS Primitive single-celled organisms; adaptable for humanoid colonization through the use of pressure domes.
EXAMPLE(S) Mars, Mudd



CLASS L MARGINAL
AGE 4 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE Rocky and barren, little surface water
ATMOSPHERE Oxygen/argon, high concentration of carbon dioxide.
LIFE-FORMS Limited to plant life; suitable for humanoid colonization.
EXAMPLE(S) Indri VII



CLASS M TERRESTRIAL
AGE 3 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE Surface water is abundant; If water or ice covers more than 80% of the surface, planet is considered Class-O or Class-P
ATMOSPHERE Nitrogen, Oxygen and trace elements.
LIFE-FORMS Extensive vegetation, animal life and humanoids.
EXAMPLE(S) Earth, Vulcan and Cardassia Prime



CLASS N REDUCING
AGE 3 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE High surface temperature due to greenhouse effect; water exists only as vapor.
ATMOSPHERE Extremely dense, carbon dioxide and sulfides.
LIFE-FORMS Unknown.
EXAMPLE(S) Venus



CLASS O PELAGIC
AGE 3 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE Liquid water covers 80% or more of surface area.
ATMOSPHERE Nitrogen, Oxygen and trace elements.
LIFE-FORMS Aquatic vegetation, animal life and humanoids.
EXAMPLE(S) Argo



CLASS P GLACIATED
AGE 3 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Ecosphere
SURFACE Water ice covers 80% or more of the surface area.
ATMOSPHERE Nitrogen, Oxygen and trace elements.
LIFE-FORMS Hardy vegetation, animal life and humanoids.
EXAMPLE(S) Exo III



CLASS Q VARIABLE
AGE 2 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 15000km
LOCATION Hot Zone/Ecosphere/Cold Zone
SURFACE Ranges from molten to water and/or carbon dioxide ice, due to eccentric orbit or variable output of star
ATMOSPHERE Ranges from tenuous to very dense
LIFE-FORMS Hardy vegetation, animal life and humanoids.
EXAMPLE(S) Genesis Planet



CLASS R ROGUE
AGE 2 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 4000 - 15000km
LOCATION Interstellar space, cometary halos
SURFACE May be temperate due to geothermal venting
ATMOSPHERE Primarily volcanic outgassing
LIFE-FORMS Non-photosynthetic plants, animal life.
EXAMPLE(S) Dakala




CLASSES S-T ULTRA GIANT
AGE 2 - 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10 - 50 million km (Class S) 50 - 120 million km (Class T)
LOCATION Cold Zone
SURFACE Tenuous, composed of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen compounds; radiates considerable heat
ATMOSPHERE Zones vary in temperature, pressure and composition; water vapor may be present
LIFE-FORMS Unknown
EXAMPLE(S) Vanis VIII




CLASS Y DEMON
AGE 2- 10 Billion Years
DIAMETER 10000 - 50000km
LOCATION Hot Zone/Ecosphere/Cold Zone
SURFACE Temperatures can exceed 500 degrees Kelvin
ATMOSPHERE Turbulent, saturated with toxic chemicals and thermionic radiation.
LIFE-FORMS Silicon or other non carbon based
EXAMPLE(S) Tholia and Mimetic

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STAR FLEET PROBE TYPES



Probe Table

Class 1: Speed - .5c
Range - 200,000 km
Short-range astronomical probe which analyzes EM radiation, interstellar chemistry, and subspace fields.

Class 2: Speed - .65c
Range - 400,000 km
Short-range astronomical probe which analyzes EM radiation, interstellar chemistry, and subspace fields.

Class 3: Speed - .65c
Range - 1,200,000 km
These probes land on planets and return samples, thus providing a detailed on-site analysis of the planet. Crews can also use Class 3 probes to analyze the capabilities of enemy starships. They have 'stealth' capabilities.

Class 4: Speed - .6c
Range - 3,500,000 km
These probes perform close observation of stars and other high-energy phenomena.

Class 5: Speed - Warp 2, .5c
Range - 430 billion km
These probes land on planets and return samples, thus providing a detailed on-site analysis of the planet.

Class 6: Speed - .8c
Range - 430 billion km
Communicator relays and emergency beacons. They cannot attain warp speed (to make it harder to detect them with subspace sensors), but have high sublight velocities. When a Class 6 probe exhausts its fuel supply, it coasts and broadcasts a recovery signal toward Federation Space. The probe's navigational module facilitates recovery and trajectory tracking.

Class 7: Speed - Warp 1.5, .5c
Range - 450 billion km
These probes orbit an inhabited planet for up to three months to collect information about its inhabitants and relay it to the ship. They have 'stealth' capabilities.

Class 8: Speed - Warp 8/9
Range - 12 light years at Warp 8, 6.5 hours at Warp 9.
Long range sensor probes. In crisis situations, they can be used to send a lone passenger on an emergency mission. The range of a class 8 probe depends on its speed. Its long range sensors have a range of 6 light years.

Class 9: Speed - Warp 8/9
Range - 14 days (76 light years) at Warp 8, 12 hours at Warp 9.
Long range sensor probes. In crisis situations, they can be used to send a lone passenger on an emergency mission. The range of a class 8 probe depends on its speed. Its long range sensors have a range of 12 light years.

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SUBSPACE PHENOMENA

Subspace is a mysterious and complex region which offers both great benefits and great perils to those who utilize it. The major benefits are obvious - interstellar civilizations such as the Federation would be all but impossible without the faster than light travel offered by warp drives which utilize subspace. On the other hand, subspace phenomena can be diverse, unpredictable and almost unbelievably destructive. The following is a brief list of some of the major subspace phenomena encountered by the Federation since its formation. Note that this is not an exhaustive list, simply a selection.
Phenomena

Subspace Compression: A phenomenon caused when an object is partially encased in a subspace field, thus altering the gravitational constant of the encased portion and giving the different parts different inertial densities. Subspace compression causes stress to be placed on the object, and in extreme cases can cause it to be destroyed on an atomic level. In addition to this danger there is considerable risk of damage to the platform projecting the subspace field, although a modern Starship is capable of withstanding a considerable degree of subspace compression. The Enterprise-D once attempted to correct the orbit of a moon orbiting Bre'el IV by wrapping a subspace field around part of it, thus resulting in subspace compression. The attempt failed, but as a result of non technical factors rather than any problems with the method employed.
A rare and highly unusual subspace compression phenomenon was discovered in 2374. The anomaly caused an object which passed through it to be greatly reduced in physical size; the Danube class runabout Rubicon was shrunk to a size of approximately a dozen centimetres while investigating the anomaly, although it was eventually able to return to its normal size. It was hoped that study of the anomaly would enable a better understanding of the mechanisms behind transwarp conduits to be gained.

Subspace Field Distortions: A phenomenon which indicates the presence of a functioning warp drive system. The Cytherian probe encountered by the Enterprise-D in 2367 did not generate any subspace field distortions even though it was capable of travelling at faster than light speeds. The nature of the probes drive system remains a mystery to federation science.
Subspace Funnel: A subspace link between two points in normal space through which, theoretically, matter and energy can pass. Subspace funnels thus bear some superficial similarity to wormholes. Lieutenant LaForge suggested that the mysterious disappearance of the USS Hera may have been a result of the ship being transported to Marijne VII when trionic initiators in the ships warp core created a subspace funnel. Unfortunately no evidence was discovered to support the theory and the ships loss remains a mystery.
Subspace Instabilities: An area in which the fabric of space is weakened, making it especially vulnerable to the damaging effect of certain types of warp drive. The effect is cumulative, and excessive use of warp drive spacecraft in regions containing subspace instabilities can result in the formation of a subspace rift.
The region around the Hekaras corridor is rife with subspace instabilities and it was here that the damaging effect of warp drives was proven when Dr. Serova created a warp core breach in her ship, resulting in a subspace rift. As a result the local inhabitants feared that they would have to abandon warp drive altogether, but in fact a modification to warp engine design has allowed vessels to operate without damaging space in this manner.

Subspace Interphase Pocket: Our universe coexists with a multitude of others which occupy the same physical space but are separated by the phase difference between them. Occasionally our universe overlaps one of these others, creating a region of interphase. Such interphase pockets are highly dangerous; vessels entering them are likely to find themselves marooned in another universe with little chance of returning. Being in close proximity to an interphase pocket has drastic effects on the brain function of Humanoid life forms, while being trapped inside one is generally fatal.
In 2268 the USS Defiant wandered into an interphase pocket. The effect of the pocket induced intensely violent behaviour patterns in the crew, causing them all to kill each other. When the USS Enterprise investigated the phenomenon Captain James Kirk led a team onto the Defiant. The Defiant began to shift into another universe and Kirk became trapped inside the interphase pocket as his team was beamed back to the Enterprise. He survived for several hours in the pocket, having been protected during the transition by the cushioning effect of the transporter beam, and was eventually recovered. Unfortunately the Defiant herself could not be salvaged.

Interphase pockets are highly sensitive to disturbances in space and any use of energy in their vicinity can cause them to shift position and alter the timing of the periods of interphase significantly.

Subspace Rift: An opening in the fabric of normal space through which subspace protrudes. High level exposure of space containing subspace instabilities to warp fields can result in a subspace rift, causing vessels to become trapped. The rifts are extremely sensitive to any use of subspace technology, most especially to warp drive - any use of a warp drive system within a rift causes it to expand greatly.
In 2370 the USS Enterprise was present at the formation of a subspace rift in the Hekaras corridor, and was subsequently trapped within it when the USS Flemming activated its warp drive. The Enterprise managed to escape the rift, but was unable to do anything to repair it. For a time all Starfleet vessels were limited to speeds of no more than Warp 5 in order to prevent the cumulative damage to the fabric of space from creating more rifts, but new models of warp engine are able to operate safely at any speed and the warp 5 limit has been abandoned.

Subspace Rupture: A large anomaly which acts in a manner similar to a whirlpool, sucking matter into it over a large scale. In 2169 a Vulcan vessel discovered a subspace rupture in the Hanoli system. The Vulcans detonated a pulse wave torpedo in the rupture, setting off a chain reaction which destroyed the entire system.
In 2369 the crew of Deep Space Nine believed that a subspace rupture had formed near the station, but the anomaly proved to be a manifestation of their imaginations created by an alien species investigating Humanoid mental processes.

Subspace Sandbars: A phenomenon which prevents the use of warp drive, effectively tying a spacecraft in place. Essentially, a region with a Cochrane factor of zero. In 2375 USS Voyager was marooned on a subspace sandbar which was created when a species of Photonic beings from another universe created gateways into our dimension. Voyagers crew was able to convince the beings to return to their own space and close the gateways, after which the sandbar dissipated and the ship was able to continue on its way.
Subspace Shock Wave: A shock wave produced by certain types of explosion, most notably those involving dilithium ore. Subspace shock waves tend to propagate across an almost flat plane rather than in the three dimensional manner of a normal explosion. The shock wave propagates through normal space and can interact with objects within our universe, but its subspace nature allows it to travel at high multiples of the speed of light. The near destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis in 2293 produced a large subspace shock wave with a double wave front which extended out of Klingon territory altogether and hit the USS Excelsior, which was patrolling in the area at the time.
Subspace Tear: A subspace tear can be created by an isolytic subspace weapon. It allows a portion of subspace to intrude upon normal space, presenting a threat to Starships in the vicinity. The tear can be attracted to a Starships warp core, which drags it across space like a zipper. Detonating such a warp core within the tear can cause it to close up again, although this is not guaranteed. Such a tactic was successfully employed by the Starship Enterprise-E when a Son'a vessel used a subspace weapon against it during the Ba'ku crisis.
Subspace Transition Rebound: A phenomenon associated with the dimensional shift transport technology employed by the Ansata terrorists on Rutia IV. Virtually undetectable by conventional sensor systems, the effect can be scanned with accuracy by an adaptive subspace echogram. In 2366 the USS Enterprise used such a scan to locate the Ansata headquarters and score a major victory over the Ansata.
Subspace Vacoule: A natural subspace phenomenon which links two points in space time and causes matter and energy located at each point to switch places with its counterpart. The two points can be separated by virtually any distance, or for that matter could even exist within other dimensions. Subspace vacuoles are attracted to the warp cores of a Federation Starship.
In 2371 USS Voyager encountered a planet whose rings were riddled with subspace vacuoles which linked it to the Vhnori homeworld. The Vhnori had been sending their corpses through the vacuoles for a long time, believing that the phenomena were conveying their dead to the afterlife. When Ensign Kim was accidentally transported through a vacuole to their world he revealed the true destination of the vacuoles and revealed that he had seen the bodies of the Vhnori dead before being transported to their world, confirming that this aspect of their religion was in fact false. This prompting something of a religious crisis on the planet. When he - eventually - realized that such revelations were a prime directive violation Kim effected an escape through another vacuole back to Voyager.

Captain Janeway subsequently noted that the Vhnori beliefs may in fact have had some slight basis in reality, since the planet the dead were being transported to was surrounded by a very complex energy field which might contain the neural patterns of the dead Vhnori. Whilst it may be true that the Vhnori experience an afterlife of sorts, existence as disembodied energy remains fundamentally at odds with Vhnori beliefs as revealed to Ensign Kim.

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PARTICLES



Particles

Anyon: Anyons are particles which can be used to counter Chronitons. In 2368 Lieutenant Commander Data used an Anyon emitter to clear the ship of Chroniton particles generated by Geordi LaForge and Ensign Ro Laren, who were on board the ship in a phased state.
Baryon: Class of the heaviest particles. Include neutrons, protons and the heavier, unstable hyperons: the lambda, sigma, xi, and omega particles. The antiparticles of this class are termed antibaryons. Baryons consist of three quarks and interact through the strong force, which holds atomic nuclei together. The law of conservation of baryons states that for any interaction of elementary particles, the sum of baryon numbers remains unchanged. Federation starships must periodically undergo "Baryon Sweeps" at facilities such as the Remmler Array to clear them of contamination.
Chroniton: Particles associated with phasing / temporal technology. In 2368 Chroniton particles caused members of the Enterprise-D crew to become phased during a mission to assist a damaged Romulan vessel. The two were able to produce a massive surge of Chronitons by overloading a phased Romulan disrupter pistol in ten forward, prompting Lieutenant Commander Data to flood the space with Anyons and render them partially visible again. In 2371 Chroniton particles caused a transporter accident which threw Captain Sisko, Doctor Bashir and Lieutenant Commander Dax to be thrown back in time to the 21st century. Shortly afterwards Chroniton particles caused Chief O'Brien of Deep Space Nine to make several short jumps into the future.
Dekyon: A class of particles which travel at below light speed. USS Voyager used a Dekyon beam to open a fissure in the event horizon of a class 3 singularity; in 2369 the Enterprise-D crew detected changes in the Dekyon field which proved that they were trapped in a temporal loop.
Graviton: The particle responsible for the gravitational force which exists between all masses in our universe. Gravitons can be artificially generated by Federation starships, and have various uses. The Enterprise-D used gravitons in an attempt to communicate with the crystalline entity, for example. Heavy gravitons can be highly destructive and this form of weapon was considered for use against the Borg by the Enterprise crew, although it was decided that the weapon would probably be insufficient. In 2368 graviton waves destroyed the USS Vico, and nearly destroyed the USS Enterprise, when they interacted with the power of the ships shields. Some artificial gravity systems operate by creating gravitons.
Antigravitons are produced by certain alien technologies, and can be used to interfere with transporter beams.

Ionogenic Particle: Ionogenic particles can be used to contain certain forms of energy; in 2368 Geordi LaForge used Ionogenic particles in an attempt to trap the "souls" of alien criminals who had possessed members of the crew in an attempt to escape from a prison moon.
Kedion: A particle which Lieutenant Commander LaForge used in 2370 to reset Data's ethical subroutine after it had been disabled by Lore, causing the android to engage in sadistic behaviour.
Lepton: A class of particles that do not interact by the strong nuclear force. They are electrically neutral or have unit charge, and are fermions. Leptons appear not to have any internal structure. The electron, the muon, the tau, and the three kinds of neutrino are all Leptons. Although all leptons are relatively light, they are not alike. The electron, for example, carries a negative charge, and is stable, meaning it does not decay into other elementary particles; the muon also has a negative charge, but has a mass about 200 times greater than that of an electron and decays into smaller particles. Leptons interact with other particles through the weak force (the force that governs radioactive decay), the electromagnetic force, and the gravitational force. Wormholes can emit Leptons prior to opening or changing position.
Megneton: Historically, the magneton is a unit used to measure of the magnetic dipole moment of a particle. In modern physics the term refers to a specific particle which can be used by sensor systems.
Meson: Any of a class of particles believed to participate in the forces that hold nucleons together in the atomic nucleus. Like Leptons, Mesons can be associated with wormhole activity.
Metreon: Particle which allows the "Metreon Cascade" to function. This weapon was used to end a war by destroying a Talaxian lunar colony; the Cascade resulted in enormous levels of metreon radiation on the moon. Exposure to such high levels of can cause Metremea, a fatal blood disease. In 2371 Dr Jetrel, creator of the Metreon Cascade, died of Metremea which he contracted after working on the sites of the Cascade detonations.
Muon: An unstable particle similar to an electron, but with a much greater mass. Muons are part of the Lepton family. A build up of Muons in a Federation warp core can result in a massive explosion if the ship enters warp. This is especially dangerous as the build up is very difficult to detect.
Nadion A particle associated with phaser weapons. In 2371 Captain Janeway used her phaser to close a temporal rift by creating nadion particle feedback within it. Voyager later used a Nadion burst to damage the lifeform inhabiting the Demon class planet the Starship had landed on, forcing it to halt its attack on the ship.
Neutrino: A particle which has no charge and very small mass. Neutrinos are famous for their ability to pass through large amounts of matter. Despite this, by the 24th century neutrino detectors have become very compact and efficient, allowing these particles to be used in distress beacons. Neutrinos are associated with the opening and closing of the Bajoran wormhole. In 2365 the Enterprise was able to use a neutrino beam to destroy a colony of bacteria which were eating its hull. Neutrinos have a spin of 1/2 - in 2370 Jadzia Dax found that the laws of probability on Deep Space Nine were being distorted, affecting the spin of the neutrinos in the station.
The antineutrino is the antimatter equivalent of the neutrino. These can be highly harmful to Federation warp cores - in 2371 a Sikarian space folding mechanism released antineutrino particles when B'Elanna Torres attempted to use it, threatening the safety of the ship.

Neutron: Neutrons are one of the particles which make up atomic nuclei. They have a mass of approximately 1 u, and zero charge. Neutrons not contained within a nucleus are unstable, decaying with a half life of approximately 17 minutes. Isotopes differ from the standard form of an element by having more or less neutrons in their nucleus, altering the mass of the atom but leaving its chemical properties unchanged. In the late 2200's the Klingons produced a prototype Bird of Prey which could fire whilst cloaked; the vessel produced large amounts of neutron radiation, but this was insufficient to render the vessel detectable at anything other than extreme close range.
Antineutrons have the same mass, spin, and rate of decay as the normal particle. They are sometimes produced in the collisions of antiprotons with protons, and they possess a magnetic moment equal and opposite to that of the neutron. Certain configurations of gravity fields allow antineutrons to pass through whilst stopping antigravitons.

Nucleonic Particle: Nucleonic particles are associated with certain forms of communications technology. In 2368 a Kataran probe used a nucleonic beam to penetrate the shields of the Enterprise-D, implanting artificial memories within Captain Picard. In 2371 Voyager detected damage to a Kazon vessel due to nucleonic particle fluctuations. The vessel was eventually discovered to have been catastrophically damaged when a makeshift copy of one of Voyagers food replicators exploded.
Omega: A molecule believed by many to have the potential to be the ultimate energy source. Even a single molecule can produce more energy than a Federation warp core, and some scientists believe that Omega molecules may have been the energy source behind the Big Bang which created the universe. Omega molecules are highly unstable and their decay can cause damage to subspace over large areas, rendering the use of warp drive impossible. The Federation regards the use of Omega molecules to be a serious threat to interstellar travel throughout the galaxy, and Starship Captains are authorized to use any and all means to destroy the molecules wherever they are found - an order which supersedes even the prime directive.
Omicron: A possible alternative power source for Federation starships, omicron particles where detected in 2371 within a nebula by the crew of Voyager. The particles turned out to be part of the circulatory system of the nebula, which was a living being. Omicron particles are also associated with some forms of holographic technology.
Photon: A quantum of electromagnetic radiation. The wave and particle behaviour displayed by photons led to the development of quantum theory on Earth.
Polaron: Polarons are a particle associated with some forms of scanning and communications systems. They can be used to detect camouflaged vessels, or to scan time streams. The Dominion uses phased polaron weapons, as these are very effective at penetrating shield systems. Modern Federation and allied shield systems have been altered so as to resist phased polaron weapons much more effectively.
Positron: The Positron is the antiparticle of the electron, one of the particles which make up atoms. 20th century science fiction writer Issac Asimov used positronic brains in his robot stories; centuries later Dr. Soong made this a reality when he developed Positronic technology for the neural nets of his androids, including Lore and Data. This technology is not yet widespread, but positronic systems can be used to keep the brain of an injured person functioning. Positrons can also be used by scanning systems against objects which are particularly difficult to penetrate with normal scans.
Proton: Along with neutrons, protons make up the nuclei of atoms. Antiprotons have many applications in scanning systems - the Enterprise-D tracked the Crystalline entity by detecting gamma radiation from antiproton decay, and detected antiprotons as a residual trace of Romulan disruptor fire in 2369. The Dominion uses antiproton beams to penetrate cloaking devices. In 2267 the Enterprise fought an alien war machine which fired a beam of absolutely pure antiprotons capable of cutting through an entire planet. Antiprotons can also be used in medical applications; Voyagers EMH used antiprotons to cure Paris of genetic mutations which occurred after his Warp 10 flight.
Tachyon: Class of particles which travel at greater than the speed of light. Active tachyon beams can be used to detect cloaked Romulan vessels. Naturally occurring tachyon eddies are believed to have assisted ancient Bajoran lightsail vessels in crossing interstellar distances. Inverse tachyon beams can have a harmful effect on the space time continuum.
Terracon Particle: Terracon particles are used by archaeologists, as their decay profiles can allow the authenticity of ancient artefacts to be determined.
Teryon: Particle used in some weapon systems. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was badly wounded by a compressed Teryon beam in 2369, almost killing him.
Tetryon: Tetryons are elementary particles which can only exist for any length of time in subspace, being unstable in normal space. In 2369 Tetryons were discovered on board the Enterprise-D, helping to prove that an alien race living within a subspace domain was abducting members of the crew. Tetryons can be damaging to equipment, and have been used on occasion to disable phaser weapons. A Tetryon compositor is part of at least some Romulan cloaking devices, and these particles are sometimes radiated by cloaked Warbirds. Coherent Tetryon beams were used by the Caretaker to scan over galactic distances.
Verteron: Verterons are highly damaging to subspace equipment; in 2369 the Enterprise-D was disabled by a Verteron pulse deliberately caused by a pair of scientists anxious to prove that warp drive was damaging the fabric of space-time. Verteron emanations are also associated with wormholes.
Warp Particle: Any of several particles emitted by an active warp drive. Warp particles can leave a detectable signature behind, even enabling specific vessels to be identified.
Z Particle: Z particles are one of the carriers of the weak nuclear force. They are emitted by vessels, especially those using relatively poor versions of cloaking technology. Z particle emissions were used to determine the location of Ardras vessel in orbit around Ventax III by the crew of the Enterprise-D.

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SPATIAL ANOMALIES

The following is a very small selection of the anomalies which Federation Starships have encountered during their travels through our galaxy.
Anomalies

The Badlands: A region located near to Cardassian and Bajoran space, the Badlands is a dangerous region with a very heavy concentration of plasma storms. The storms are extremely difficult to navigate, most especially for large ships. During the Cardassian occupation the Bajoran resistance took to hiding in the Badlands, since the large Cardassian warships were unable to follow the much smaller Bajoran craft into the region.
After the end of the occupation the Maquis also took to hiding in the Badlands in order to hide from both the Cardassians and Starfleet. The Intrepid class was considered to be capable of safely navigating the plasma fields, although the Intrepid class USS Voyager was thought to have been lost when it attempted to pursue a Maquis Raider into the area in 2371. It later transpired that Voyager had been deliberately abducted from the Badlands by an advanced alien being, rather than having been lost to the storms.

Briar Patch: An area which surrounds the Ba'ku planet, the Briar patch is characterized by anomalies and pockets of metreon gas. Warp travel is impossible within the Briar patch, and Starships in the area need special modification in order to operate effectively. In 2375 the Enterprise-E was forced to enter the patch without modification. Whilst there the ship engaged in battle with two Son'a battleships. The Enterprise experienced significant difficulties, damaging its impulse manifolds. Nevertheless the Enterprise was able to use its Bussard collectors to scoop up some of the Metreon gas and detonate it in proximity to the Son'a ships, destroying one and damaging the other.
Dark Matter: A type of matter which is difficult to detect with normal sensor or scanner systems. Dark matter tends to be concentrated in nebulas, although by some cosmological models the amount of dark matter in the universe as a whole is greater than the amount of normal matter.
High concentrations of dark matter can create small gaps in the fabric of normal space. Normal matter passing through these areas can become momentarily phased in unpredictable ways, creating transient electrical currents similar to those created by a subspace distortion but without any trace of a subspace field.

Dark matter can also act to degrade the performance of sensors against normal matter, making dark matter nebulas a good choice for hiding oneself. In 2374 Captain Sisko piloted his damaged Jem'Hadar vessel into a dark matter nebula in order to hide it from detection. Within he found an entire class M world which was undetectable from outside the nebula.

Dark matter is also found outside nebulas. It has been speculated that a tertiary product of stellar consolidation could be a comet-like assemblage of dark matter. This would be strongly attracted to antimatter, which it would neutralize upon contact. Such a contact can lead to displaced protons in the materials involved and can induce forces sufficient to badly damage a Starship hull. In 2376 one of Voyagers shuttles encountered a phenomena which behaved initially in a manner similar to the proposed dark matter proto comet. On further investigation the crew discovered a new form of life composed of dark matter, although no significant degree of contact was established.

FGC-47: In 2368 the USS Enterprise investigated FGC-47, a nebula which had formed around a neutron star. The nebula was composed of hydrogen, helium and trionium. On entering the nebula the ship experienced a strange drag effect which gradually reduced their speed. The effect was minor and the ship pressed on with its investigation of the area. On collecting samples of the nebula gas, the crew discovered that the nebula was permeated with filaments composed of a highly cohesive form of plasma. These filaments, which became visible when exposed to a high frequency warp field, created a resonant effect when they hit the ships shields, thus increasing the drag coefficient and reducing the ships speed for a given power output.
The Enterprise was able to chart the filaments within the nebula by running the warp field generators through the ships deflector grid to make them all visible, allowing it to make its way out of the nebula.

Graviton Ellipse: A phenomenon which travels through subspace, occasionally moving into normal space for a time before returning. While in normal space subspace ellipses tend to sweep up various objects which are then carried along inside them. The ellipses can be billions of years old, and extremely ancient artefacts are sometimes discovered within them. The anomalies have only been encountered a handful of times; on October 19th, 2032, a subspace ellipse passing by Mars collided with and absorbed the Aries 4, one of the first manned spacecraft Mankind sent to the planet. This marked mankind's first encounter with a spatial anomaly, and almost derailed the Mars program entirely.
In 2376 USS Voyager encountered the same ellipse. The emergence of the phenomenon caused level 9 gravimetric distortions to emenate from subspace, and Voyager measured its total energy at 30 million Terajoules. The ellipse was strongly attracted towards Voyager, approaching at sufficient speed to prevent the starship from outrunning it at impulse and produced interference which disrupted the ships warp drive, making escape extremely difficult. The gravimetric stresses created are sufficient to rip the hull plating off a Starship, and no vessel which has passed close to a graviton ellipse has survived the encounter.

Fortunately, Seven of Nine recognized the ellipse as Borg spatial anomaly 521 and recalled that it was attracted to objects which emit electromagnetic energy. She advised cutting power and reversing shield polarity, measures which prevented further pursuit and allowed Voyager to escape the anomaly.

Upon scanning the ellipses interior, Voyager detected a stable region within which gravimetric disturbances were negligible. The scans located some 2.8 billion compounds inside, including the hull materials of the Aries 4. Voyagers crew modified the shields of the Delta Flyer to allow it to penetrate the ellipse and discovered the space craft nearly intact within. Whilst the Flyer was within the ellipse the anomaly collided with a dark matter asteroid, badly damaging the shuttlecraft. Although this made retrieving the Aries impossible, they were able to recover the body of Lieutenant John Kelley from the capsule and give it a proper burial.

Ion Storms: A relatively common phenomena, ion storms can present a significant hazard to ships which encounter them. The storms can cause damage to various systems, depending on their strength. Level 5 ion storms are not regarded as much of a threat to ships, while level 7 storms are sufficient to badly damage shuttlecraft. A level 8 storm is sufficient to present a danger to starships such as the Intrepid class.
The Enterprise carried a pod which had to be ejected during ion storms. In 2267 the ship ejected its pod apparently with engineer Ben Finney still within it, causing Captain Kirk to be court martialled. Kirk was cleared when it was revealed that in fact Finney had faked his own death to gain revenge on Kirk for reporting a mishap he had made some time previously. When the Enterprise visited the Halkan planet later in the same year, an ion storm disrupted the ships transporter system and caused several of its officers to be swapped with crew members of an Enterprise from an alternate universe.

In 2375 the Delta Flyer was badly damaged by an ion storm and crash landed on an M class planetoid. Voyager managed to weather a level 5 storm and rescue the Flyer, shortly before a level 8 storm arrived.

Neutronic Wavefront: A neutronic wavefront is a phenomenon which is produced when two neutron stars collide. The collision forms a ring structure which expands outwards at a significant fraction of the speed of light, presenting a danger to spacecraft which encounter it.
In 2376 USS Voyager encountered a class nine neutronic wavefront which was expanding at 200,000 kilometres per second, approximately 66% of light speed. The phenomena extended for 3.6 light years, indicating that the collision had taken place several years previously. Voyager was unable to escape the wavefront at warp speeds as the neutron radiation it was emitting was disrupting plasma flow within the ships systems. Lacking sufficient impulse speed to escape the wavefront, Voyager generated an inverse warp field in order to lock itself within position, inoculated the crew against the expected radiation increase, and attempted to ride the storm out.

While the ship was able to weather the majority of the wavefront successfully, the neutronic gradient increased towards the trailing edge. The ship experienced energies of well over 90 million terajoules. The inverse warp field destabilized and Voyager was dragged along with the wavefront, inflicting significant damage on the ship. Fortunately Voyager was able to use its main deflector dish to cut a path through the front and escape.

Murasaki 312: Encountered by the Enterprise in 2267, Murasaki 312 is a quasar like phenomenon of great size and power. Following their standing orders, the Enterprise investigated the anomaly and discovered that it had a negative ionic concentration at 1.64x109 metres and was emitting radiation at a wavelength of 370 Angstroms, with harmonics upward along the entire upper spectrum. The effect had ionized an entire sector, covering at least four solar systems in the vicinity of the ship. The effects of Murasaki badly compromised the performance of both communications and sensor systems across this region.
The Enterprise launched a shuttlecraft to investigate the phenomenon, but the craft was disabled and dragged into the centre of Murasaki 312 where it crash-landed on Tarsus II. The shuttles crew were able to repair it sufficiently to launch again and make a brief orbital flight. Fortunately the Enterprise was still in the area and was able to recover those crew members who had survived the planet.

Although Murasaki 312 began to dissipate somewhat as the Enterprise left, the anomaly continued to exist for at least the next century. In 2367 the Enterprise-D conducted some sensor scans of Murasaki 312 whilst passing by.

Twisted Space: Encountered by Voyager in 2371, the region of twisted space initially caused various minor systems failures on board the ship, most notably in the communications system. When the captain attempted to send officers to the strategic portions of the ship it quickly became clear that something much stranger was happening. The vessels layout had changed radically. Worse, the layout was continuing to change on a second by second basis, without the crew being at all aware of the changes.
Captain Janeway and Ensign Kim attempted to access the bridge via the Jefferies tube system, but instead encountered some form of field which appeared to be distorting space itself. Janeways arm became enveloped in the field and although Kim was able to free her, the after-effects resulted in severe delirium.

All of the crews attempts to free the ship from the effect or to counter or even slow it failed, and eventually they resigned themselves to allowing the effect to take its course. The distortion enveloped the entire ship then vanished of its own accord, leaving Voyager and her crew completely undamaged. After the distortion had ended, Voyagers crew discovered that 20 million gigaquads of new information had been downloaded into the ships computer systems.

Even now it is unclear exactly what the nature of the distortion effect was. It may have been caused by a vessel occupying multidimensional space, or indeed may have been a vessel of some form in itself. It is even possible that the field was a life form in its own right. It seems that an answer may well lie in the information Voyager collected, and this will likely be the subject of much intensive study when and if the ship is able to return home.

[supernova]

STAR CLASSIFICATION TABLE



CLASS O DARK BLUE
TEMPERATURE 28,000 - 50,000°K
COMPOSITION Ionized atoms, especially helium
EXAMPLE Mintaka (01-3III)





CLASS B BLUE
TEMPERATURE 10,000 - 28,000°K
COMPOSITION Neutral helium, some hydrogen
EXAMPLE Alpha Eridani A (B3V-IV)





CLASS A LIGHT BLUE
TEMPERATURE 7,500 - 10,000°K
COMPOSITION Strong hydrogen, some ionized metals
EXAMPLE Sirius A (A0-1V)





CLASS F WHITE
TEMPERATURE 6,000 - 7,500°K
COMPOSITION Hydrogen and ionized metals, calcium and iron
EXAMPLE Procyon A (F5V-IV)





CLASS G YELLOW
TEMPERATURE 5,000 - 6,000°K
COMPOSITION Ionized Calcium, both neutral and ionized metals
EXAMPLE Sol (G2V)





CLASS K ORANGE
TEMPERATURE 3,000 - 5,000°K
COMPOSITION Neutral Metals
EXAMPLE Alpha Centauri (K0-3V)





CLASS M RED
TEMPERATURE 2,500 - 3,500°K
COMPOSITION Ionized atoms, especially helium
EXAMPLE Wolf 359 (M5-8V)



Each Spectral class is divided into 10 subclasses, ranging from 0 (hottest) to 9 (coolest). Stars are also divided into six categories according to luminosity: 1a (most luminous supergiants), 1b (less luminous supergiants), II (luminous giants), III (normal giants, IV (subgiants), and V (main sequence and dwarfs). For instance, Sol is classified as a G2V, which means that it is a relatively hot G-classed main sequence star.

[supernova]

ASTRONOMICAL TERMS



A

Absolute Magnitude: The apparent magnitude that a star would possess it if were placed at a distance of 10 parsecs from Earth. In this way, absolute magnitude provides a direct comparison of the brightness of stars. The apparent magnitude of a star is based upon its luminosity and its distance. If all stars were placed at the same distance then their apparent magnitudes would only be dependent on their luminosities. Thus, absolute magnitudes are true indicators of the amount of light each star emits.

Accretion: An accumulation of dust and gas into larger bodies such as stars, planets and moons, or as discs around existing bodies.
Albedo: A measure of the reflectivity of an object and is expressed as the ratio of the amount of light reflected by an object to that of the amount of light incident upon it. A value of 1 represents a perfectly reflecting (white) surface, whilst a value of zero represents a perfectly absorbing (black) surface. Some typical albedos are: The Earth - 0.39; The Moon - 0.07; Venus - 0.59.
Aphelion: The point in an orbit around the Sun at which an object is at its greatest distance from the Sun (Opposite of perihelion).
Apogee: Similar to aphelion The point in an orbit when a body orbiting the Earth, (eg Moon or artificial satellite.) is farthest from the Earth (opposite of perigee).
Apoapsis: The point in an orbit when a planet is farthest from any body other than the Sun or the Earth.
Arc Minute: A measure of angular separation, - one sixtieth of a degree.
Arc Second: Another measure of angular separation, - one sixtieth of an arc minute. (1/3600th of a degree.)
Ascending Node: The point in the orbit of an object, when it crosses the ecliptic, (or celestial equator) whilst moving south to north
Asteroid: (Also "planetoid") These are rocky bodies, the vast majority of which orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. It is thought that there must be around 100,000 in all. The largest asteroid is Ceres which has a diameter of 579 miles. The smallest detected asteroids have diameters of several hundred feet. Together with comets and meteoroids, asteroids make up the minor bodies of the solar system. They are considered to be left over planetesimals from the formation of our solar system. The gravitational pull of Jupiter is thought to have stopped the members of the asteroid belt from forming a planet.
Astronomical Unit: This is the mean distance from the Earth to the Sun, i.e. 149,597,870 km. (approx 93 million miles);
Aurora: A glow in the Earth's ionosphere caused by the interaction between the Earth's magnetic field and charged particles from the Sun (The Solar Wind). It gives rise to the "Northern Lights", or Aurora Borealis, in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Aurora Australis in the Southern Hemisphere.
B

Binary Star: A system of two stars orbiting around a common centre of mass due to their mutual gravity. Binary stars are twins in the sense that they formed together out of the same interstellar cloud.
Blue Moon: The second full moon in a calendar month, or the third full moon in a season containing four.
C

Celestial Equator: The projection of the Earth's equator upon the celestial sphere.
Celestial Sphere: The projection of space onto the night sky, an imaginary hollow sphere of infinite radius surrounding the Earth but centred on the observer. (First postulated by Ptolemy.) It is the basis of sky charts, and the celestial co-ordinate system. The coordinate system most commonly used is right ascension and declination. The sphere itself is split up into arbitrary areas known as constellations.

Celestial Poles: The projection of the Earth's poles onto the celestial sphere.
Chromosphere: The layer between the photosphere and the corona in the atmosphere of the Sun, or any other star, mainly composed of excited hydrogen atoms.
Coma: (1) The dust and gas surrounding the nucleus of a comet.
(2) A defect in an optical system which gives rise to a blurred, pear shaped, comet-like image.

Comet: An icy object in independent orbit about the Sun; smaller than a planet, usually having a highly elliptical orbit extending out to beyond Jupiter.
Conjunction: When two bodies appear to close together in the sky, i.e. they have the same Right Ascension. Mercury & Venus are said to be at Superior Conjunction when they are behind the Sun, and at Inferior Conjunction when they are in front of it. The outer planets are simply said to be at conjunction when they pass behind the Sun.
Constellation: An arbitrary grouping of stars which form a pattern. The sky is divided into 88 constellations. These vary in size and shape from Hydra, the sea monster, which is the largest at 1,303 square degrees, to Crux, the cross, which is the smallest at 68 square degrees.
Corona: The outer layer, and hottest part, of the Sun's atmosphere
Coronagraph: A special telescope which blocks light from the Sun's disc, thus creating an artificial eclipse, in order to study its atmosphere.
Cosmic Ray: An extremely fast, energetic and relativistic (high speed) charged particle.
Cosmos: The Universe: the word is derived from the Greek, meaning 'everything'.
Culmination: An object is said to culminate when it reaches its highest point in the sky. For northern observers, this occurs when the object is due South. For southern observers when it is due North.
D

Declination: A system for measuring the altitude of a celestial object, expressed as degrees north, or south, of the celestial equator. Angles are positive if a point is North of the celestial equator, and negative if South. It is used, in conjunction with Right Ascension, to locate celestial objects.
Descending Node: The point in the orbit of an object, when it crosses the ecliptic whilst traveling north to south.
Direct Motion (Prograde Motion): (1) Rotation or orbital motion in a anticlockwise direction when viewed from the north pole of the Sun (i.e. in the same sense as the Earth); the opposite of retrograde.
(2) The East-West motion of the planets, relative to the background of stars, as seen from the Earth.

Dwarf Star: A star, which lies on the main sequence and is too small to be classified as a giant star or a supergiant star. For example, the Sun is a yellow dwarf star.
E

Eccentricity: The eccentricity of an ellipse (orbit) is the ratio of the distance between its focii and the major axis. The greater the eccentricity, the more 'flattened' is the ellipse.
Eclipse: A chance alignment between the Sun, or any other celestial object, and two other celestial objects in which one body blocks the light of the Sun, or other body, from the other. In effect, the outer object moves through the shadow of the inner object.
Ecliptic: The apparent path the Sun (and, approximately that of the planets) as seen against the stars. Since the plane of the Earth's equator is inclined at 23.5 degrees to that of its orbit, the ecliptic is inclined to the celestial equator by the same angle. The ecliptic intersects the celestial equator at the two equinoxes.
Elongation: The angular distance between the Sun and any other solar system body, usually the Earth, expressed in degrees. The term Greatest Elongation is applied to the inner planets, Mercury and Venus. It is the maximum elongation from the Sun. At Greatest Elongation, the planet will appear 50% phase.
Equatorial Mount: A telescope mount so designed so that the two axes, which support it, are aligned, one to the polar axis and the other to the Earth's equator. Once an object is centred in the telescope's field of view, only the polar axis need be adjusted to keep the object in view. If the polar axis is driven at Sidereal rate, it will counteract the rotation of the Earth, keeping the object (except the Moon) stationary in the field of view.
Equinox: This is the time when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. There are two equinoxes; Vernal (Spring), around March 21st and Autumnal (Autumn) around September 23rd. On these dates, day and night are equal. Actual dates and times vary due to the Earth's precession.
F

Facula: Unusually bright spots, or patches, on the Sun's surface. They precede the appearance of sunspots and can remain for some months afterwards.
Filament: A strand of (relatively) cool gas suspended over the Sun (or star) by magnetic fields, which appears dark against the disc of the Sun. A filament on the limb of the Sun seen in emission against the dark sky is called a solar prominence.
G

Galaxy: Vast star systems containing thousands of billions of stars, dust and gas, held together by gravity. Galaxies are the basic building blocks of the Universe. There are three main classes, Elliptical, Spiral and Barred, named after their appearance.
Galilean Moons: Jupiter's four largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. First discovered by Gallileo.
Geosynchronous Orbit: Sometimes known as a geostationary orbit, in which a satellite's orbital velocity is matched to the rotational velocity of the planet, and as such, a geostationary satellite would appear to be stationary relative to the Earth.
Globular Cluster: A spherical cluster of older stars, often found in galaxies.
Granulation: The mottled, orange peel, appearance of the Sun's surface; caused by convection within the Sun.
H

Heliocentric: Sun-centered.
I

Inclination: (1) The angle between the orbital plane of the orbit of a planet, and the ecliptic.
(2) The angle between the orbital plane of a satellite and the equatorial plane of the body it orbits.

Inferior Conjunction: When Mercury, or Venus, are directly between the Sun and Earth
Inferior Planets: These are the planets Mercury and Venus. They are called inferior planets because their orbits lie between that of the Earth and the Sun.
L

Light Year: The distance traveled by light in one year, equal to 9.4607E12 km (5.88 * 10E12 miles or 63,240 AU).
Limb: The outer edge of the disc of a celestial body
Luminosity: Absolute brightness. The total energy radiated into space, per second, by a celestial object such as a star.
Lunation: The period between successive New Moons.
M

Magnetosphere: The region of space in which a planet's magnetic field dominates that of the solar wind.
Magnitude: The degree of brightness of a celestial body designated on a numerical scale, on which the brightest star has magnitude -1.4 and the faintest star visible to the unaided eye, has magnitude 6. A decrease of one unit represents an increase in apparent brightness by a factor of 2.512. Apparent magnitude of a star is the brightness as we see it from Earth, whilst absolute magnitude is a measure of its intrinsic luminosity. Lower numbers represent brighter objects.
Meteor: Also known as a "shooting star" or "falling star", is a bright streak of light in the sky caused by a meteorite as it burns up in the Earth's atmosphere.
Meteorite: A rock of extraterrestrial origin, found on Earth.
Minor Planets: Another term for asteroids.
Moon: A naturally occurring satellite, or relatively large body, orbiting a planet.
N

Nebula: A term used to describe celestial objects which have a fuzzy, or nebulous, appearance (from the Latin for cloud.), such as gas, or dust, clouds. Galaxies were once described thus.
Nova: An existing star which suddenly increases its brightness by more than 10 magnitudes and then slowly fades.
O

Occultation: This is when one celestial body, passes in front of, and obscures, another.
Open Cluster: A group of young stars, possibly bound together by gravity, that formed together.
Opposition: A planet is said to be "in opposition" when it appears opposite the Sun in the sky. For the outer planets, this is generally the closest they come to the Earth, hence when they are most easily visible.
Optical Binary: A pair of stars which happen to lie close to one another on the celestial sphere because of a chance alignment. They are not physically associated with one another and lie at vastly different distances. Optical binaries are also known as visual binaries.
Orbit: The path of one body around another due to the influence of gravity.
P

Parallax: The angular difference in apparent direction of an object seen from two different viewpoints.
Parsec: A unit for expressing large distances. It is the distance at which a star would have a parallax of one arc second, equal to 3.2616 light years, 206,265 astronomical units (AU) or 30.857 * 10E12 km.
Penumbra: Means, literally, "dim light". It most often refers to the outer shadow cast during eclipses, and defines the region of shadow which gives rise to a partial eclipse. It is also the lighter area surrounding the central region of a sunspot.

Periapsis: The point in an orbit closest to a body other than the Sun or the Earth.
Perigee: The point in its orbit where the Moon, or planet is closest to the Earth.
Perihelion: The point in its orbit when an object is closest to the Sun.
Perturb: To cause a celestial body, to deviate from its predicted orbit, usually under the gravitational influence of another celestial object.
Photosphere: The visible surface of the Sun.
Plage: Bright regions in the Sun's chromosphere.
Planisphere: An aid to locating stars and constellations in the night sky. It consists of two discs. One with the entire night sky, and the other, which covers the first, having a window through which a portion of the sky can be seen. The second disc is set according to the date and time.
Precession: Circular motion about the axis of rotation of a body; fixed with respect to the stars. The Earth is a giant gyroscope whose axis passes through the North and South Poles and this axis precesses with a period of 27,700 years.
Prominence: A cloud, or plume, of hot, luminous gas in the Sun's corona. It appears bright when seen against the cool blackness of space. When they are in silhouette against the disc they are known as filaments. They are mainly composed of hydrogen, helium and calcium.
Q

Quadrature: When a superior planet; Jupiter, Saturn etc.; is at right angles to the Sun, as seen from Earth.
Quasars: Compact, extra galactic, objects at extreme distances, which are highly luminous. They are thought to be active galactic nuclei. The name is an acronym for quasi-stellar radio source. A quasar is very similar to a QSO (quasi-stellar object) but gives out radio waves also.
R

Radiant: The part of the sky from which a particular meteor stream appears to come from. Meteor showers are usually named after the constellation in which the radiant originates.
Red Giant: A spectral type K or M star nearing the end of its life having a low surface temperature and large diameter eg Betelgeuse in Orion.
Red Shift: The lengthening of the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation caused by relative motion between source and observer. Spectral lines are red-shifted from distant galaxies, indicating that the galaxies are moving away from us due to the expansion of the Universe.
Resolution: The amount of small detail visible in an image (usually telescopic); low resolution shows only large features, high resolution shows many small details.
Retrograde: Rotation of a planet, or orbit, opposite to that normally seen.
Right Ascension (RA): The angular distance, measured Eastwards, from the Vernal Equinox. It is one of the ordinates used to reference objects on the celestial sphere. It is the equivalent to a longitude reference on the Earth. There are 24 hours of right ascension within 360 degrees, so one hour is equivalent to 15 degrees. Together with declination, it represents the most commonly used co-ordinate system in modern astronomy.
S

Semi-major Axis: The semi-major axis of an ellipse (e.g. a planetary orbit) is 1/2 the length of the major axis which is a segment of a line passing through the foci of the ellipse with end points on the ellipse itself. The semi-major axis of a planetary orbit is also the average distance from the planet to its primary.

Shepherd Moon: Is a moon which constrains the extent of a planetary ring by means of gravitational forces. It is believed that shepherd moons are responsible for Saturn's rings.
Sidereal Time: Star time; the hour angle of the vernal equinox. Time measured with respect to the fixed stars rather than the Sun or body orbiter.
Sidereal Month: The 27.32166 day period of the Moon's orbit.
Solar Cycle: The 11-year variation in sunspot activity.
Solar Flare: A sudden, short lived, burst of energy on the Sun's surface, lasting from minutes to hours.
Solar Wind: A stream of charged particles emitted from the Sun which travel into space along lines of magnetic flux.
Solstice: This is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly point (around June 21st & December 22nd. respectively.). It marks the beginning of Summer and Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere.
Spectral Classification: A method of classifying stars which is based upon the appearance of the absorption lines in their spectra.
Star Cluster: A loose association of stars within the the Milky Way. Examples are the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) Hyades clusters.
Sunspot: A cooler region of the Sun's photosphere (which, thus, appears dark) seen as a spot, on the Sun's disc. They are caused by concentrations of magnetic flux, typically occurring in groups or clusters. The number of sunspots varies according to the Sun's 11 year cycle. More sunspots are seen at the Maxima of solar cycles, with few being observed during the Minima between.
Superior Conjunction: This is when Mercury, or Venus, are behind the Sun
Superior Planets: Also known as the outer planets. These are the planets beyond the Earth's orbit. They are, in order: Mars; Jupiter; Saturn; Uranus; Neptune; Pluto
Supernova: An exploding star.
T

Terminator: The boundary between day and night regions of the moon's, or a planet's, disc.
Transit: The apparent journey of Mercury or Venus across the Sun's disc, or of a planet's moon across the disc of its parent.
U

Umbra: From the Latin for shade, it is the shadow area defining a total eclipse. or the dark central region of a sunspot.
V

Variable Star: Any star whose brightness or magnitude varies with time. The variations can be intrinsic because of internal processes or extrinsic, due to eclipses, dust and other phenomena. Variations can also be irregular or periodic.
W

White Dwarf: A whitish star, of up to 1.4 Solar masses, and about the size of the Earth with consequential very high density, characterized by a high surface temperature and low brightness.
Worm Hole: A hypothetical shortcut through the space time continuum.
Z

Zenith: The point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer, or the highest point in the sky reached by a celestial body.
Zenithal Hourly Rate - (ZHR): It is the number of meteors per hour, for a particular stream, that is estimated will be seen under favorable seeing conditions if the radiant were directly overhead the observer. Usually the actual figure is less than this.
Zodiac: The apparent path, in the sky, followed by the sun, moon and most planets, lying within 10 degrees of the celestial equator. Ancient Astrologers (nothing to do with modern astronomy! ) divided it into 12 groups, the Signs of the Zodiac, though there are actually 13 astronomical constellations which lie on the zodiac, since the Sun passes through Ophiuchus each December. Ophiuchus is not recognized by astrologers.
Zodiacal Light: A faint glow from light scattered off interplanetary dust in the plane of the ecliptic.