Galactic Astronomy
In galactic astronomy, the term peculiar motion (or peculiar velocity) refers to the motion of an object (usually a star) through space.
Local objects are usually related in terms of proper motion and radial velocity, that is the amount an object appears to move across the sphere of the sky, and the measured speed at which it travels towards or away from us, respectively. Its actual motion is the peculiar motion.
Read more about this topic: Peculiar Velocity
Famous quotes containing the words galactic and/or astronomy:
“When the galactic sea was sucked
And all the dry seabed unlocked,
I sent my creature scouting on the globe,
That globe itself of hair and bone....”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“Awareness of the stars and their light pervades the Koran, which reflects the brightness of the heavenly bodies in many verses. The blossoming of mathematics and astronomy was a natural consequence of this awareness. Understanding the cosmos and the movements of the stars means understanding the marvels created by Allah. There would be no persecuted Galileo in Islam, because Islam, unlike Christianity, did not force people to believe in a “fixed” heaven.”
—Fatima Mernissi, Moroccan sociologist. Islam and Democracy, ch. 9, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. (Trans. 1992)