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Optical depth and actual depth, and respectively, can vary widely depending on the absorptivity of the astrophysical environment. Indeed, τ {\displaystyle \tau } is able to show the relationship between these two quantities and can lead to a greater understanding of the structure inside a star .
Spectral optical depth or spectral optical thickness is the natural logarithm of the ratio of incident to transmitted spectral radiant power through a material. [1] Optical depth is dimensionless , and in particular is not a length, though it is a monotonically increasing function of optical path length , and approaches zero as the path length ...
An optical effect seen in stars (including the Sun), where the center part of the disk appears brighter than the edge or limb of the image. line of apsides The imaginary line connecting the two apsides (the periapsis and the apoapsis) of an elliptical orbit, and which therefore represents the distance of the orbit's longest axis. Lobster-eye optics
Astrophysics terminology – physics-related acronyms; Catalog – collections of tabulated scientific data; Communications network – any network that functions primarily to communicate with spacecraft rather than performing astronomy; Data – astrophysical data not associated with any single catalog or observing program
The "Big Bang" scenario, with cosmic inflation and standard particle physics, is the only cosmological model consistent with the observed continuing expansion of space, the observed distribution of lighter elements in the universe (hydrogen, helium, and lithium), and the spatial texture of minute irregularities (anisotropies) in the CMB radiation.
The density, mass, and location of the objects in these lens populations determines the frequency of microlensing along that line of sight, which is characterized by a value known as the optical depth due to microlensing. (This is not to be confused with the more common meaning of optical depth, although it shares some properties.) The optical ...
In astrophysics, L is used for luminosity (energy per unit time, equivalent to power) and F is used for energy flux (energy per unit time per unit area, equivalent to intensity in terms of area, not solid angle). They are not new quantities, simply different names.
The subdisciplines of theoretical astrophysics are: Compact objects – this subdiscipline studies very dense matter in white dwarfs and neutron stars and their effects on environments including accretion. Physical cosmology – origin and evolution of the universe as a whole. The study of cosmology is theoretical astrophysics at its largest scale.