Glossary of Radio Astronomy Terms

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Glossary of Radio Astronomy Terms

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List of Terms

Wavelength:

The distance between two adjacent crests of a wave.

Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP):

Short for “Weakly Interactive Massive Particle,” a WIMP is a hypothetical “dark matter” particle, which does not interact at all or very rarely with other particles via the electromagnetic force. It does, however, interact via gravitational effects.

Whirlpool galaxy:

A well-defined spiral galaxy with very prominent arms.

White dwarf:

A dying star that has collapsed to approximately the size of the Earth and is slowly cooling.

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