Encyclopedia

Asteroid Asteroids, also called minor planets or planetoids, are a class of astronomical object. The term asteroid is generally used to indicate a diverse group of small celestial bodies that drift in the solar system in orbit around the Sun.
Asteroid deflection strategies Asteroid deflection strategies are methods by which near-Earth objects could be diverted, preventing potentially catastrophic impact events. A sufficiently large impact would cause massive tidal waves or, by placing large quantities of dust into the stratosphere blocking sunlight, cause an impact winter.
Asteroid family An asteroid family is a group of minor planets that share similar orbital elements, such as semimajor axis, eccentricity, and orbital inclination. The members of the families are thought to be fragments of past asteroid collisions.
Asteroid hyalosis Asteroid hyalosis is a degenerative condition of the eye involving small white opacities in the vitreous humor. Clinically, these opacities are quite refractile, giving the appearance of stars (or asteroids) shining in the night sky -- except that ocular asteroids are often quite mobile.
Asteroid M Asteroid M was the name of numerous asteroids converted by the comic book mutant Magneto, into his home, orbiting base, in the Marvel Comics universe. It was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, in X-Men #5 (May 1964).
Asteroid occultation An asteroid occultation occurs when an asteroid passes in front of a star (occults a star), temporarily blocking its light (as seen from Earth). From any particular place such events occur almost every night, although most require a telescope to see.
Asteropaios In the Iliad Asteropaios (Latin: Asteropaeus) was the leader of the Trojan-allied Paionians along with fellow warrior Pyraechmes. Asteropaios was the son of Pelagon, who was the son of the river god Axios and the mortal woman Periboia.
Astex Astex Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of drugs in oncology and other areas. Astex was founded in 1999 by Sir Tom Blundell, Chris Abell & Harren Jhoti, and is located in Cambridge, UK.
Asthall Asthal, or Asthall, is a village and civil parish in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about six miles west of Witney. The village is on the River Windrush, and had a population of 282 according to the 2001 census.
Asthenosphere The asthenosphere (from an invented Greek a + 'sthenos "without strength") is the region of the Earth between 100-200 km below the surface — but perhaps extending as deep as 400 km — that is the weak or "soft" zone in the upper mantle. It lies just below the lithosphere, which is involved in plate movements and isostatic adjustments.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for and controlling asthma, food allergies, nasal allergies and other allergic diseases. AAFA's mission is also to educate the public about these diseases.
Asthma Friendly® asthma friendly® is a trademarked owned by Allergy Standards Limited (ASL), Inc., and used in a product certification program administered in the United States by the nonprofit Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Asthma spacer An asthma spacer is a device used by an asthmatic person to increase the effectiveness of an asthma inhaler. Spacers are specially designed plastic or metal tubes that fit an inhaler on one end, while the patient breathes normally on the other end.
Asthmatic Kitty Asthmatic Kitty is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by a community of musicians from Holland, Michigan. Some were Holland natives, and others had come to attend local colleges and universities.
Asti (wine) Asti is a DOCG sparkling wine produced in the Asti region in Piedmont, Italy. Made from the Moscato grape, it is available as a sparkling wine (Asti, earlier known as Asti spumante) and a frizzante (Moscato d'Asti).
Astier Fesehazion Astier Fesehazion (born 1951) is an Eritrean politician. She joined Eritrean People's Liberation Front in 1974 and, since independence, has held the following positions: member of the Central Council of People's Front for Democracy and Justice, member of the National Assembly, Head of Social Affairs in the Ministry of Social Welfare and Head of Personnel in the Anseba Zone.
Astigmatism In optics, astigmatism is when an optical system has different foci for rays that propagate in two perpendicular planes. If an optical system with astigmatism is used to form an image of a cross, the vertical and horizontal lines will be in sharp focus at two different distances.
Astika Astika (Sanskrit:, "one who acknowledges") is a term used in Hinduism to refer to a person or philosophical school that accepts the Vedas. The term Astika is sometimes loosely translated as theist while Nastika as atheist.
Astika (mythology) Astika was an ancient Hindu rishi (sage), and he was a son of Jaratkaru by a sister of the great serpent king Vasuki. According to the Mahabharata, he saved the life of a serpent named Takshaka when king Janmejaya made his great sacrifices of serpents.
Astinus Astinus Lorekeeper is the head librarian of the Library of Palanthas, a fictional character in the Dragonlance world. He is often emotionless, expressing his feelings (if any) only at extremely rare occasions.
Astley and Dunley Astley and Dunley is a civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England, with a population of 888 (2001 census). The parish includes Astley, Dunley and The Burf (but not Astley Cross, which is in Stourport-on-Severn.
Astley Cooper Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet (August 23, 1768–February 12, 1841), English surgeon and anatomist, who made historical contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the pathology and surgery of hernia.
Astley, Greater Manchester Astley is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. It is situated eight miles west of Manchester, just outside the larger town of Leigh, situated just off the busy East Lancashire Road, a major thoroughfare linking Manchester with Liverpool.
Astola Astola or Astola Island (also known as Haft Talar (Urdu: جزیرہ ہفت تلار ) or seven hills) is a small, uninhabited island in the Arabian Sea, approximately twenty-five kilometres south of the Balochistan coast of Pakistan. The island lies about forty kilometres east-southeast of the port of Pasni, its altitude is 0-200 feet and the total area is approximately 50 km².
Astolpho Astolpho is a fictional character in Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto and is one of Charlemagne's paladins. He is the son of Otto, the King of England (possibly referring to Charles' contemporary Offa of Mercia), and is a cousin to Orlando and Rinaldo.
Astome Astomes (order Astomatida) are a group of ciliate protozoans commonly found in the guts of annelid worms, especially oligochaetes, and other invertebrates. As their name implies, these parasites are characterized by an absence of mouth.
Aston Barrett Aston Francis Barrett (born November 22, 1946, Kingston, Jamaica), often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafari. He was one of the Barrett brothers (the other being Carlton "Carlie" Barrett) who played with Bob Marley and The Wailers and Lee Perry's The Upsetters.
Aston Clinton Aston Clinton is a village and civil parish that sits close to the main A41 road in Buckinghamshire, England between Tring and Aylesbury. The parish is 3,809 acres (15 km²) in size and is about 4 miles (6 km) east of Aylesbury.
Aston Clinton House Aston Clinton House (also known as Green Park though referred to as simply Aston Clinton by the Rothschild family) was a large mansion to the south east of the village of Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom.
Aston Cockayne Sir Aston Cockayne (1608 – 1684) was in his day a well-known Cavalier and a minor literary figure, now best remembered as a friend of Philip Massinger, John Fletcher, Michael Drayton, Richard Brome, Thomas Randolph, and other writers of his generation.
Aston Eyre Hall Aston Eyre Hall is an unfortified stone manor house in the English county of Shropshire, which was built in the mid 14th century, probably for Alan de Charlton, who acquired the estate by marriage to Margery FitzAer and died in 1349. It consists of a hall range, with a service wing to the south-west and a parlour cross-wing to the north, and a detached gatehouse to the east, across what would have been an unusually large entrance court.
Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a manufacturer of performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. The company name is derived from the Aston Clinton hill climb and one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin.
Aston Martin DB Mark III The DB Mark III (normally simply called Mark III, even at the time of its introduction) was a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1957 through 1959. It was an evolution of the DB2/4 Mark II model it replaced, using an evolution of that car's W.
Aston Martin DB2 The DB2 was a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1950 through 1953. It was a major advancement over the 2-Litre Sports model it replaced, with a dual overhead cam straight-6 in place of the previously-used pushrod straight-4.
Aston Martin DB5 The Aston Martin DB5, released in 1963, was a slight upgrade from the DB4 which preceded it. It is most famous for being the first and most recognised James Bond car, seen in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and the current Bond film Casino Royale.
Aston Martin DB9 The Aston Martin DB9 is a grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004 and is the first new car to be built at Aston's Gaydon facility. The name "DB" stems from David Brown, the owner of Aston Martin for a sizeable part of its history.
Aston Martin DBR1 The Aston Martin DBR1 was a sports racing car built by Aston Martin starting in 1956, intended for the World Sportscar Championship as well as non-championship sportscar races at the time. It is most famous as the victor of the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, the only win to date for Aston Martin at the endurance classic.
Aston Martin DBR9 The Aston Martin DBR9 is a new racing car by Aston Martin, first built in 2005. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car, named for then owner David Brown, which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title.
Aston Martin DBS V12 The Aston Martin DBS is the latest supercar to be announced by the Aston Martin and featured prominently in the James Bond film Casino Royale. Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez summarized the philosophy that was the driving force behind the conception of the new Bond car in the Press Release, explaining that “The DBS is not of the understated elegance of a DB9, nor the youthful agility of the V8 Vantage.
Aston Martin Nimrod In 1981, a partnership called Nimrod Racing Automobiles was formed by Robin Hamilton and Victor Gauntlet, then chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda. Hamilton needed help bringing together cash for a race team and Aston Martin wanted their name back in motorsport.
Aston Martin Rapide The Aston Martin Rapide is a four-door, four-seat coupe, which Ford owned British luxury marque Aston Martin plans to introduce in late 2007 to compete with the Porsche Panamera, Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and Maserati Quattroporte. It was first presented under the form of a concept car at the North American International Auto Show in 2006.
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, designed in 1995 by Ian Callum, is a grand tourer manufactured by Aston Martin, a Ford Motor Company subsidary since 2001. It rose to fame after being featured as the official James Bond car in Die Another Day, the twentieth James Bond film.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage (2005) The modern Aston Martin V8 Vantage is the closest to a pure sports car of any in the current Aston Martin range. Aston Martin has previously used the "Vantage" name on high performance variants of their existing GT models, notably on the massively powerful heavyweight Virage-based supercar of the 1990s.
Aston Park, Birmingham Aston Park is a park located in Aston, Birmingham. Despite being bordered by both Aston Villa Football Club and the Aston Expressway (A38(M)), Aston Park provides a quiet open space which is enjoyed regularly by the people of Aston.
Aston shell Aston (also known as Astonshell and Aston Shell) is a commercial shell replacement application for Microsoft Windows 9x/NT/ME/2K/XP. Developed by Gladiators Software in the beginning of 1999, Aston has become quite popular and at present time it's one of the most actively developed shell replacement applications for Windows.
Aston Township, Pennsylvania Aston Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As one of the first townships incorporated in Pennsylvania, the present-day boundaries of Aston were drawn in 1948 when the northwestern portion of the township, who were against a proposed tax hike, seceded from the township and formed the borough of Chester Heights.
Aston Upthorpe Aston Upthorpe is a village and civil parish in the South Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire (though previously in Berkshire), about four miles south-east of Didcot. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 190.
Astor Cup auto race The Astor Cup was an American auto racing event first run in 1915 at the Sheepshead Bay Speedway at Sheepshead Bay, New York. The winners trophy was donated by Vincent Astor whose name and connections ensured the attendance of members of New York City's fashionable and wealthy elite.
Astor family The Astor family, John Jacob Astor and his wife Sarah Todd came to the United States from Walldorf, Germany in the late 18th century and during the 19th century became the wealthiest family in the United States. Towards the end of that century, a branch moved to England and achieved great prominence there.
Astor Row Astor Row is the name given to 130th Street between Fifth Avenue and Lenox Avenue in Harlem, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. More specifically, it refers to the semi-attached row houses on the south side of the street.
Astora Software Astora Software was the name given to the transitional company that was formed after Quest Development Corporation of San Luis Obispo, California bought out its development contract with Symantec Corporation, but before the founding of its successor company Arcada Software. It was in existence for only a two week period during 1994-02.
Astore Wildlife Sanctuary Astore Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Astore Wildlife Sanctuary covers 416 km² on the north side of the Astore Valley from the junction with the Indus River to the confluence with the Parashing Gah.
Astoria Column The Astoria Column is a tower overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River on Coxcomb Hill above Astoria, Oregon. The column was built in 1926 with financing by the Great Northern Railroad and the great-grandson of John Jacob Astor in commemoration of the city's role in the family's business history.
Astoria Heights, Queens Astoria Heights is a district in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Hazen Street and Astoria to the West, La Guardia Airport to the East, Bowery Bay to the North, and Astoria Boulevard and the Grand Central Parkway to the South.
Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City (bordering at Broadway), Sunnyside (bordering at Northern Boulevard), and Woodside (bordering at 50th Street).
Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line) Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard is the northern terminal station on the BMT Astoria Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street in the Queens neighborhood of Astoria, it is served by the train (all times), and by the train (weekdays).
Astove Island Astove Island is 38 km SSE of Cosmoledo Atoll, located at (). It is a raised atoll with just one island forming a nearly closed ring of land around a shallow lagoon with a maximum depth of 3 meters, leaving a passage only in the southwest.
Astra (1922 automobile) The Astra was a small French cyclecar made by E Pasquet in Paris with a twin-cylinder two-stroke engine of 496cc; the automobile, which was manufactured only in 1922, featured independent suspension on all four wheels, as well as friction drive.
Astra 1A Astra 1A was the first satellite launched and operated by Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra. During its early days, it was often referred to as the Astra Satellite, as SES only operated one satellite originally.
Astra 1B Astra 1B was the second satellite launched and operated by Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra. It was bought during its construction from GE Americom, and was launched to add extra capacity to the satellite television services from 19.
Astra 1KR Astra 1KR is a geostationary satellite owned by SES Astra. It was launched in April 2006 as a replacement for the failed Astra 1K launch attempt in 2000, and was the first successful SES Astra launch since 2002.
Astra 2A Astra 2A is a communications satellite owned by SES Astra. Launched in 1998, half its expected end-of-life capacity of 28 transponders were pre-booked by BSkyB, who utilised it and a re-positioned Astra 1D to launch their new Sky Digital service.
Astra Digital Radio Astra Digital Radio (ADR) is a system used by SES Astra for digital radio transmissions on their Astra 1 satellites, using the audio subcarrier frequencies of analogue television channels. It was introduced in 1995.
Astraea Redux Astraea Redux written by John Dryden in 1660 is a full-blown royalist panegyric in which Dryden welcomes the new regime of Charles II. It is a vivid emotional display which overshadows the cautious Heroique Stanzas which he composed for Cromwell’s death.
Astragalus newberryi Astragalus newberryi (Newberry milkvetch), is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the southwestern United States in the Death Valley area and the eastern Mojave Desert. It grows in rocky and gravelly areas between 1300–2350 m altitude.
Astrakhan Cossacks Astrakhan Cossack Host (Астраханское казачье войско in Russian) was a Cossack host of Imperial Russia drawn from the Cossacks of the Lower Volga region, who had been patrolling the banks of the Volga River from the time of Russia's annexation of Astrakhan Khanate in 1556.
Astrakhan Khanate The Khanate of Astrakhan (Xacitarxan Khanate) was a Tatar feudal state that appeared after the collapse of the Golden Horde. The Khanate existed in the 15th and 16th centuries in the area adjacent to the mouth of the Volga river, where the contemporary city of Astrakhan is now located.
Astrakhan Oblast Astrakhan Oblast (, Astrakhanskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), with an area of 44,100 km², and a population of 1,005,276 (according to the 2002 Census). Its administrative center is the city of Astrakhan.
Astral body The astral body refers to the concept of a subtle body which exists alongside the physical body, as a vehicle of the soul or consciousness. It is usually understood as being of an emotional nature and, as such, it is equated to the desire body or emotional body.
Astral character Astral characters are Unicode characters that are not part of the Basic Multilingual Plane (that is, characters whose code point is above U+FFFF). In the context of Unicode, the term “astral plane” is informally used to refer to the supplementary planes above the Basic Multilingual Plane.
Astral projection Astral projection (or astral travel) is an interpretation of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming, deep meditation, or use of psychotropics. Proponents of astral projection maintain that their consciousness or soul has transferred into an astral body (or "double"), which moves in tandem with the physical body in a parallel world known as the astral plane.
Astral spirits Astral spirits are spirits believed to animate or to people the heavenly bodies, to whom worship was paid, and to hover unembodied through space exercising demonic influence on embodied spirits. They typically feature heavily in Shamanistic religions.
Astranagant The Astranagant(アストラナガン) is a fictional robot in the Super Robot Wars series. It has appeared as an enemy in Super Robot Wars Alpha, but can be made recruitable and had cameos in Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden and Super Robot Wars Alpha 3.
Astranimu ASTRANIMU - Plural for Astranimus which is Latin for "star mind". In his 1976 book,"The Selfish Gene" Richard Dawkins (Oxford Biologist) suggested the term "replicator" to refer to a thing (of whatever construction) that was able to survive in its envoirnment, and reproduce itself.
Astraspis Astraspis ('star shield') is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish. It has a small cameo in the 2003 BBC series Sea Monsters, a spin-off to the famed Walking With Dinosaurs, where Nigel Marven uses a dead Astraspis as bait to attract a sea scorpion.
Astreal Astreal are an indie rock band, most often associated with the genres of shoegazing and noise pop. The band was formed in Singapore in 1996 although some date their origins to 1992 with their first incarnation as Breed.
Astrid (satellites) Astrid-1 and Astrid-2 were two microsatellites designed and developed by Swedish Space Corporation on behalf of the Swedish National Space Board. They were piggyback launched on a Cosmos-3M launch vehicle from Plesetsk, Russia.
Astrid Andreasen Astrid JĂłhanna Andreasen (born 1948 in Vestmanna, Faroe Islands) is a Faroese textile and graphical artist, marine researcher and postage stamp designer. As a scientific illustrator, she specialises in marine animals.
Astrid Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (, née Ericsson, November 14 1907 – January 28 2002) was a Swedish children's book author, whose many titles were translated into 85 languages and published in more than 100 countries.
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is the world's largest children's and youth literature award. It was instituted by the Government of Sweden in 2002 in honour of the Swedish children's books author Astrid Lindgren.
Astrid Lulling Astrid Lulling (born 11 June 1929 in Schifflange) is a politician in Luxembourg, and a Member of the European Parliament (1965-1974 and since 1989) for the Christian Social People's Party, part of the European People's Party.
Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg (* April 14, 1936) is a Norwegian conservative politician and professor of medicine. She was the state secretary to the Minister of Social Affairs 1981-1985, and Minister of Administration and Consumer Affairs in 1986.
Astrid of Sweden Astrid, Queen of Belgium (born Princess Astrid Sofia Lovisa Thyra of Sweden) (November 17, 1905 - August 29, 1935) was the Queen consort of LĂ©opold III of the Belgians. She was the third daughter of Prince Carl, Duke of Westrogothia, and his wife Princess Ingeborg of Denmark.
Astrid Sandvik Astrid Sandvik (born 1 October 1939) is a Norwegian Alpine skiier who finished tied for 6th (with fellow Norwegian and 1958 Holmenkollen medalist Inger Bjørnbakken.) in the women's slalom at the 1956 Winter Olympics at Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Astrild Astrild (from Old Norse: "Love-fire") is an old Nordic name for Amor or Cupid. Astrild probably originated in the writings of the 17th century Swedish poet Georg Stiernhielm, and has since been used in Nordic poetry, mainly during the Baroque and Rococo eras.
Astringent An astringent substance is a chemical substance that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin astringere, meaning "to bind fast".
Astro Art Astro Art is the product of an artist and a creative idea, associated with astronomy or atmospheric objects or phenomena, both real or imagined, future or historical. It is the creative and often unique process of communicating ideas about such objects or effects.
Astro Boy: Omega Factor Astro Boy: Omega Factor (known in Japan as Astroboy Tetsuwan Atom: Atom Heart no Himitsu) is a Game Boy Advance video game released in 2004 by Sega and developed by Treasure Co. Ltd and Hitmaker that is an adaptation of the 2003 anime series Astro Boy, as well as utilizing a great deal of the plot of Tezuka's 1980 film Marine Express.
Astro City Kurt Busiek's Astro City is a comic book series centered around a fictional American city of that name. Written by Kurt Busiek, the series is co-created and illustrated by Brent Anderson with character designs and painted covers by Alex Ross.
Astro Flight Astro Flight, Incorporated is a manufacturer of products for electric-powered radio controlled aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, brushless industrial motors, the world's first solar-powered aircraft and the world's first practical electric radio controlled model airplane. The company is based in Marina Del Rey, California, USA.
Astro Chicken Astro Chicken was the name of an arcade game embedded in the 1989 Sierra On-Line graphical adventure Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon. The game was later re-released as part of "Nick's Picks", a compilation of arcade games previously embedded in Sierra adventure games.
Astro Orbitor Astro Orbitor is a rocket-spinner attraction featured at all five Magic Kingdom-stlye parks at Walt Disney Resorts around the world. Although each ride may have a different name, all share the same premise of rockets spinning around a central monument, commonly a large rocket.
Astro-twin In astrology, an astro-twin is a pair of people that were born on the same day and whose natal chart/horoscope is consequently very similar, even though they may have been born in different places and at different times.
Astrocartography Astro*Carto*graphy is a commercial astrological product which purports to identify varying life conditions through differences in location. Developed and popularized by American astrologer Jim Lewis (1941-1995), "astrocartography" is a locational astrology system that focuses on elements of the relocated natal chart, with these factors indicated in on a world map called an "Astro*Carto*graphy map.
Astrocaryum aculeatum Astrocaryum aculeatum is a palm native to tropical South America and TrinidadAstrocaryum aculeatum Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.. This plant has edible fruit which may be used for production of biodiesel.
Astrocaryum jauari Astrocaryum jauari is the most frequent palm native to Amazon Rainforest vegetation in the floodplains of the Rio Negro, in Brazil, which have edible fruits. This plant has a commercial value because it may be used in the production of heart of palm.
Astrocaryum vulgare Astrocaryum vulgare (common names tucumã-do-Pará in Brazil, aouara in French Guiana, in awarra Suriname) is a palm native to Amazon Rainforest vegetation, typical of Pará state in Brazil. This plant has edible fruit, which are also used for biodiesel production.
Astrodon Astrodon was a large herbivorous dinosaur that lived in what is now the eastern United States during the Early Cretaceous period, from 95 to 130 million years ago. Adults are estimated to have been more than 30 feet high and 50 to 60 feet long.
Astrodynamics Astrodynamics is the study of the motion of rockets, missiles, and space vehicles, as determined from Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. It is a specific and distinct branch of celestial mechanics, which focuses more broadly on Newtonian gravitation and includes the orbital motions of artificial and natural astronomical bodies such as planets, moons, and comets.
Astroengineering Astroengineering is the construction of megastructures in space by technologically advanced beings. It is a form of megascale engineering, but deals with structures that are "easily observable" from interstellar or even intergalactic distances with 20th century astronomical instruments: i.

Information are taken from Wikipedia, the open encyclopedia, to which contribute many volunteers from around the whole world. Texts are available under the following conditions GNU Free Documentation License.