Syzygy (astronomy)

In astronomy, a syzygy (/ˈsɪzədʒi/ SIZ-ə-jee; from Ancient Greek συζυγία (suzugía) 'union, yoking', expressing the sense of σύν (syn- "together") and ζυγ- (zug- "a yoke")[1][2]) is a roughly straight-line configuration of three or more celestial bodies in a gravitational system.[3]

The word is often used in reference to the Sun, Earth, and either the Moon or a planet, where the latter is in conjunction or opposition. Solar and lunar eclipses occur at times of syzygy, as do transits and occultations.[4]

  1. ^ "syzygy". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  2. ^ "syzygy". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ "Syzygy". Glossary, The Astronomical Almanac Online. HM Nautical Almanac Office and United States Naval Observatory. 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  4. ^ Coyle, Harold P. (2008). "Syzygy". AccessScience. ©McGraw-Hill Companies. doi:10.1036/1097-8542.757218. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  5. ^ "Three Planets Dance Over La Silla". ESO Picture of the Week. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.