Aa to Ab

A-type Star

A hot white star near the brighter end of the sequence of spectral types.

An A0 type star generally has a mass of about 3.2 to 3.5 times that of Sol, a luminosity of about 80 times, a surface temperature of about 9,900Â° Kelvin, and will spend about 440 million years on the main sequence. When it finally collapses, having exhausted all its fuel, it may form a black hole. The A5 spectral type is about 20 times as luminous as Sol, with a surface temperature of about 8,500Â° Kelvin, and a mass of about twice that of Sol. These short-lived stars are distinguished by very strong hydrogen lines in A0 weakening towards A9, and ionized calcium increasing from A0 to A9. They have a large life-zone, but life, when found on suitable planets, is generally only of very primitive microbial type, not having time to evolve to higher forms. Like the O and B-type stars, A-types are valued by development corporations, amat farmers, and stellar engineers, dyson sphere builders, isolationist ai, and others who would like to capitalize on the huge energy output. Sirius is a well known A1-type star, and several star-husbandry projects are already underway there.

M. Alan Kazlev

Abdicators

Trans-singularity entities that choose to descend to a lower singularity level.

Anders Sandberg

ablation; ablative

Lo tech to hi tech cooling process in which heat is carried away from an object as the flow of a fluid (e.g. air) blows away the hot, melted or vapourized outer layers of the object.

Ablative shielding: Most space and interstellar probes and vessels use some form of ablative heat shields; their outer surface is coated with heat-dissipating shielding that burns away upon impact with relativistic particles (for interstellar vessels) or during atmospheric entry at high speed. Ablative shielding is also used as a defence against beam and particle weapons.

Ablative armour: any armour that protects against beam or HE weapons by ablating, or vapourizing, as it is hit, dissipating the destructive effect of the weapon. Because ablative armour is soon eroded it is not much use in a sustained firefight. Includes soft, hard, laminated, reactive, and smart ablatives

M. Alan Kazlev

Abraxas

Autonomous Sophic League habitats in hinteregion MPA space

Originally founded, during the later Second Federation period, and inhabited by the Young Jungs, who established schools of esoteric learning there for thousands of years. After their collective transcendence (or "Individualization") in the post-ComEmp period, the habitats were increasingly given over to eccentric clades and micropolities of all sorts, especially those with unconventional philosophical beliefs and practises. The region has settled down a lot in the last thousand years, with the old groups becoming conservative and mainstream, and the young bloods migrating further outwards to seek their destiny

M. Alan Kazlev

Abruzzen

Solar Dominion world notable for being the lowest world of the Dominion relative to the galactic plane - in 3644 the famous explorer Killavan Yu-Tang set off from here on a long-range survey of the galactic disc.

Absolute, The

a term for the impersonal Supreme Reality, the Godhead, Brahman, Tao, etc.

Also variously called The Grand Unity, Ultimate Singularity, Omega, Monomega, God, Godhead, Shunya, etc. Obviously, not all these terms overlap, or are even equivalent.

Absolute Magnitude

The apparent magnitude that a star would have if it were located at a distance of 10 parsecs from the observer.

The absolute magnitude, M, is related to the apparent magnitude, m, and true distance to the star, d
Chris Clowes

absolutism

an absolute doctrine, principle, or opinion. The opposite of relativism. Many ideologies and religions tend to be absolutist.

Abydos

A magnetic star rich in heavy elements, an important resource and industrial centre for the Solar Dominion; home to a number of Sun Miner Houses and Clades.

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