astronomy
951 abbreviations
Abbreviation | Meaning | |
---|---|---|
PAMELA | (telescope) Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics, a space telescope used to study cosmic rays | |
Pan-STARRS | (telescope) Panoramic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System | |
PASJ | (publication) Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan | |
PASP | (publication) Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific | |
PCA | (instrumentation) Proportional Counter Array, an X-ray detector on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer | |
PCAS | (observing program) Planet-Crossing Asteroid Survey | |
PDBI | (telescope) Plateau de Bure Interferometer, a radio telescope | |
PDR | a photodissociation region or photon-dominated region (both terms are used synonymously); a region in the neutral ISM in which far-ultraviolet photons dominate the heating and chemistry | |
PEP | (instrumentation) PhotoElectric Photometry, an observing technique using photometers | |
PEPE | (instrumentation) Plasma Experiment for Planetary Exploration, an instrument on Deep Space 1 | |
PHA | (celestial object) Potentially Hazardous Asteroid | |
PI | (person) Principal Investigator, the person who leads a scientific project | |
PK | (catalog) Perek-Kohoutek, a catalog of planetary nebulae | |
P-L | a set of asteroid discoveries in the 1960s | |
Planemo | (celestial object) Planetary Mass Object | |
PLANET | (observing program) Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork, a program to search for microlensing events | |
PLS | (observing program) Palomar-Leiden Survey, a program to search for asteroids | |
PMPS | (observing program) Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey | |
PMS | (celestial object) Pre-Main Sequence, young stars that are still in the process of formation | |
PMT | (instrumentation) PhotoMultiplier Tube | |
PN | (celestial object) Planetary Nebula | |
PNG | (catalog) Galactic Planetary Nebula | |
PNLF | (astrophysics terminology) Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function, the density of planetary nebulae as a function of their luminosity | |
PNN | (celestial object) Planetary Nebula Nucleus, the central star in a planetary nebula | |
PNNV | (celestial object) Planetary Nebula Nucleus Variable, a variable star in the center of a planetary nebula | |
POSS | (observing program) Palomar Observatory Sky Survey | |
PPARC | (organization) Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, a major government-sponsored science agency in the United Kingdom, merged into the Science and Technology Facilities Council in 2007 | |
PPM | (catalog) Positions and Proper Motions, a catalog of the positions and proper motions of stars | |
PPN | (celestial object) Proto-Planetary Nebula, an object that has partially evolved from a red giant to a planetary nebula | |
PRE | (astrophysics terminology) Photospheric Radius Expansion | |
Proplyd | (celestial object) Protoplanetary Disk | |
PSC | (catalog) Point Source Catalog, a catalog of point-like infrared sources detected with the Infrared Astronomy Satellite | |
PSF | (instrumentation) Point Spread Function, a function that describes the blurring of a point source that is caused by the optics of the telescope and instrument (as well as other effects) | |
PSI | (organization) Planetary Science Institute | |
PSR | (celestial object) Pulsar | |
PVO | (spacecraft) Pioneer Venus Orbiter | |
PVTEL | (celestial object) PV TELescopii, a class of pulsating variable stars named after PV Telescopii, the archetype for the class | |
PWD | (celestial object) Pre-White Dwarf, a star that no longer creates energy through fusion that will eventually evolve into a white dwarf | |
PWN | (celestial object) Pulsar Wind Nebula | |
PZT | (telescope) Photographic Zenith Tube, a general name for any telescope designed to observe objects passing at the zenith | |
QBO | (astrophysics terminology) Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, a type of season variation in the Earth's atmosphere | |
QE | (instrumentation) Quantum Efficiency, the sensitivity of CCDs | |
QPO | (astrophysics terminology) Quasi-Periodic Oscillation | |
QSO | (celestial object) Quasi-Stellar Object | |
Quasar | (celestial object) QUASi-stellAR radio source | |
RA | (astrophysics terminology) Right Ascension | |
RAFGL | See AFGL. | |
RAMBO | (celestial object) An association of brown dwarfs or white dwarfs form a dark cluster. | |
RAPTOR | Rapid Telescopes for Optical Response project | |
RAS | (organization) Royal Astronomical Society |