1    astronomer  n. 天文学家  
During his own tenure as astronomer royal, from 1720 to 1742, Halley studiously tracked the moon.

2    astronomical  a. 天文学的, 天文数字的, 庞大的
A man-made clock would certainly prove a useful accessory to astronomical reckoning but could never stand in its stead.

3    astronaut   n. 太空人, 宇航员, 太空旅行者
In their most visible work, astronauts will let loose a retrievable satellite carrying a coffin-sized inflatable antenna.

4    astrology  n. 占星学, 占星术
Racing expert John Randall phoned a friend on the £1million astrology question on Monday.

5    observatory  n. 天文台, 气象台
The accuracy of global field models depends on the worldwide network of magnetic observatories.

6    telescope  n. 望远镜
Details on the moon’s surface can be seen through a telescope.

7    solar system  n. 太阳系
A less-contrived example involves the relation between Kepler’s theory of the solar system and Newton’s.

8    cosmic rays  n. 宇宙射线
A stray cosmic ray might do the same thing.

9    cosmos  n. (被视作和谐体系的)宇宙
Among the factors that stand out in the Orphic construal of a cosmos is the nature of time.

10    interstellar  a. 星际的
It is possible that we have traces of interstellar dust in meteorites.

11    galaxy  n. 星系
It starts at zero and eventually the galaxies are moving apart at a steady speed.

12    intergalactic  a. 银河间的, 星系间的
Alternatively the capsule might be drifting in the weak gravitational field of intergalactic space.

13    The Milky Way  n. 银河系
One reason to think that the Milky Way had such a meal several billion years ago is its structure.

14    The Big Bang    n. 宇宙大爆炸
The Big Bang theory is the belief that the universe originated as the result of a large explosion of a single mass of matter.

15    comet  n. 彗星
Astronomers had accidentally caught a comet in the act of turning into an asteroid.

16    asteroid   n. 小行星
Extraction of helium-3 from the surfaces of asteroids is not likely to compare with that from the Moon.

17    satellite  n.  卫星, 人造卫星
One month later a second satellite was launched into a somewhat higher orbit, of between 234 and 244 miles.

18    meteor  n.  流星
From time to time Earth suffers bombardment from meteors and comets, and meteoritic impact has been a major planet-shaper and climate-modeler.

19    meteorite  n.  陨石
Some people believe that dinosaurs were destroyed because of the effects of a gigantic meteorite.

20    revolution  n. 旋转, 转数
The planet rotates in the same direction as its revolution around the sun.

21    rotation  n. 旋转, 转动
It takes 243 Earth days for Venus to complete one rotation.

22    radiation  n. 放射, 发光, 辐射
Sensors detected a dangerous level of radiation.

23    constellation  n. 星座, 星群
Scientists have discovered a new a star in the constellation of Orion.

24    cluster  n. 串, 束, 群   v. 使成群, 聚集
Most galaxies are found in clusters rather than in isolation.

25    lunar  a. 月球的, 有关月球的
The first lunar module is now on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum in Washington.

26    eclipse  n. (日,月)蚀
No solar eclipses will be visible from the United States in 1996, and only two will be visible from Earth.

27    velocity  n. 速度, 迅速, 速率
In addition, there is no difference in velocity between movements which are long and those which are short.

28    corona  n. 日冕, 冠状物
Corona is a circle of coloured light that can sometimes be seen around the moon at night.

29    terrestrial  a. 地球的, 陆地的, 地球上的
A statistical analysis based on this data suggests that well over half the stars are being orbited by rocky terrestrial material.

30    planetary  a. 行星的
The book lists all predictable astronomical phenomena for the coming year, such as planetary, lunar, and eclipse data.

31    exploration  n.  考察, 勘探, 探查
Further exploration and appraisal drilling will be necessary to confirm the commercial potential for this discovery.

32    hypothesis  n.  假说, 假设, 前提, 猜测
Our hypothesis is that the dolphins ate contaminated fish, and this affected the dolphins’ immune system.

33    assume  v.  假定, 假设
We cannot assume the suspects to be guilty simply because they have decided to remain silent.

34    collision  n.  碰撞, 冲突
These airbags are designed to protect car drivers in head-on collisions.

35    supernova  n.  超新星
Another theory suggests that a supernova explosion occurred, destroying the companion sun and scattering its material toward our Sun.

36    nova   n. 新星
Apparently a nova is a close binary system, made up of a cool, normal star and a White Dwarf.

37    light year   n. 光年
The Japanese company is light years ahead of its European competitors.

38    gravitation  n. 万有引力
Newton worried about that when his theory of gravitation required apparently instantaneous interaction between two distant objects.

39    nebula   n. 星云
According to present-day ideas, a star begins its career by condensing out of a cloud of dust and gas known as a nebula.