Most planets, including Earth, spin in the prograde sense: They spin in the same direction as they orbit the Sun (that is, their north rotational pole and north orbital pole point in similar directions, more or less in the direction of the Solar north pole). The exceptions are Venus, Uranus, and Pluto. Uranus rotates nearly on its side relative to its orbit. It has been described as having an axial tilt of 82° and a negative rotation of −17 hours, or, equivalently, of having an axis tilted at 98° and a positive rotation. Since current sp ...

See also:

Prograde and retrograde motion, Prograde and retrograde motion - Two notations, Prograde and retrograde motion - Retrograde orbits, Prograde and retrograde motion - Retrograde rotation, Prograde and retrograde motion - Retrogradation or apparent retrograde motion, Prograde and retrograde motion - Examples, Prograde and retrograde motion - Reference

Read more here: » Prograde and retrograde motion: Encyclopedia II - Prograde and retrograde motion - Retrograde rotation

All turtles have a protective shell around their bodies. The top part of the shell is called the carapace, the bottom is called the plastron, and the two are connected by a bridge. Sea turtles grow to large sizes and live in the oceans in the temperate and tropical regions of Earth. Pond turtles (terrapins) are usually much smaller, while some land terrapins (tortoises) are as large as sea turtles. The sizes of turtles vary from a few centimetres (forest and jungle species) to two meters (the leatherba ...

See also:

Turtle, Turtle - Description, Turtle - Evolution, Turtle - Order Chelonia - Turtles, Turtle - Turtles in pop culture

Read more here: » Turtle: Encyclopedia II - Turtle - Description

The Ganga is personified in Hinduism as a goddess: Maa Ganga (Mother Ganga). Hindu legend makes her the foster-mother of Karttikeya, who was actually a son of Shiva and Parvati Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the river Ganga, including Haridwar and Varanasi. It is believed that taking a dip in the river will wash away one's sins, and that having one's ashes disposed of in the Ganga after death may improve one's next life or even allow Moksha to be attained sooner. Devout Hindus make pilgrimag ...

See also:

Ganges River, Ganges River - The Ganga in Hinduism, Ganges River - Recent Pollution

Read more here: » Ganges River: Encyclopedia II - Ganges River - The Ganga in Hinduism

Just as the level of water in a bathtub is controlled by the size of the person in the bath, sea level is controlled by the depth of the seafloor (neglecting complications resulting from glacial ice and temperature effects). The relationship between seafloor depth and sea level can be expressed as follows: The mass (M) of water on the earth is a constant = K1, where K1 = M(seawater) + M(freshwater) + M(ice) + M(atm. water) We can ...

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Supercontinent cycle, Supercontinent cycle - Effects on sea level, Supercontinent cycle - Relation to Global Tectonics, Supercontinent cycle - Relation to climate, Supercontinent cycle - Relation to evolution, Supercontinent cycle - External link

Read more here: » Supercontinent cycle: Encyclopedia II - Supercontinent cycle - Effects on sea level

Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 2,000 mm (about 100 inches or 200 centimetres) and 1700 mm (about 67 inches). The soil can be poor because high rainfall tends to leach out soluble nutrients. Rain forests are home to two-thirds of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. It has been estimated that many hundreds of millions of new species of plants, insects, and microorganisms are still undiscovered and as yet unnamed by science. Tropical rain ...

See also:

Rainforest, Rainforest - Characteristics, Rainforest - Trees, Rainforest - The canopy, Rainforest - The rainforest as a source of drugs, Rainforest - Degradation of the rainforests, Rainforest - Bibliography

Read more here: » Rainforest: Encyclopedia II - Rainforest - Characteristics

Jupiter has been known since ancient times and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. In 1610, Galileo Galilei discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter using a telescope, the first observation of moons other than Earth's. Jupiter is 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets combined, so massive that its barycenter with the Sun actually lies above the Sun's surface (1.068 solar radii from the Sun's center). It is 318 times more massive than Earth, with a diameter 11 times that of Earth, and with a volume 1300 times t ...

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Jupiter, Jupiter - Overview, Jupiter - Physical characteristics, Jupiter - Planetary composition, Jupiter - Atmosphere, Jupiter - Planetary rings, Jupiter - Magnetosphere, Jupiter - Appearance, Jupiter - Exploration of Jupiter, Jupiter - Pioneer flyby missions, Jupiter - Voyager flyby missions, Jupiter - Ulysses flyby mission, Jupiter - Galileo mission, Jupiter - Cassini flyby mission, Jupiter - Future probes, Jupiter - Natural satellites, Jupiter - Galilean moons, Jupiter - Classification of Jupiter's moons, Jupiter - Life on Jupiter, Jupiter - Trojan asteroids, Jupiter - Cometary impact, Jupiter - Jupiter in fiction and film, Jupiter - Jupiter and Internet conspiracists

Read more here: » Jupiter: Encyclopedia II - Jupiter - Overview

Sonic the Hedgehog - Family. Sonic apparently has no relatives in the games or Sonic X. In several of the other continuities, however, Sonic does have family members, ranging from his parents and his Uncle Chuck from the Archie Comics version, his mother Queen Aleena and siblings Sonia and Manic from Sonic Underground, to his Uncle Chuck from SatAM. Archie Comics Mother: Bernadette Hedgehog Father: Jules Hedgehog Uncle: Sir Charles Hedgehog (Chuck) Grandfa ...

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Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog - Appearance, Sonic the Hedgehog - Abilities, Sonic the Hedgehog - Personality, Sonic the Hedgehog - Voices, Sonic the Hedgehog - Games, Sonic the Hedgehog - Relationships, Sonic the Hedgehog - Family, Sonic the Hedgehog - Romance, Sonic the Hedgehog - Alternate versions, Sonic the Hedgehog - Appearances in other media, Sonic the Hedgehog - Television series, Sonic the Hedgehog - Books, Sonic the Hedgehog - Trivia

Read more here: » Sonic the Hedgehog: Encyclopedia II - Sonic the Hedgehog - Relationships

World-around is a term coined by Fuller to replace worldwide. The general belief in a flat Earth died out in the Middle Ages, so using wide is an anachronism when referring to the surface of the Earth — a spheroidal surface has area and encloses a volume, but has no width. Fuller held that unthinking use of obsolete scientific ideas detracts from and misleads intuition. The terms sunsight and sunclipse are other neologisms, according to Allegra Fuller Snyder collectively coined by the Fuller family, replacing sunrise and sunset in order to overturn the geocentric ...

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Buckminster Fuller, Buckminster Fuller - Major design projects, Buckminster Fuller - Practical achievements, Buckminster Fuller - Philosophy and worldview, Buckminster Fuller - Biography, Buckminster Fuller - Death, Buckminster Fuller - Trivia, Buckminster Fuller - Neologisms, Buckminster Fuller - Concepts and buildings, Buckminster Fuller - Literature, Buckminster Fuller - Secondary literature, Buckminster Fuller - Former students

Read more here: » Buckminster Fuller: Encyclopedia II - Buckminster Fuller - Neologisms

In three-dimensional Euclidean geometry, a sphere is the set of points in R3 which are at distance r from a fixed point of that space, where r is a positive real number called the radius of the sphere. The fixed point is called the center or centre, and is not part of the sphere itself. The special case of r = 1 is called a unit sphere. Sphere - Equations. In analytic geometry, a sphere with center (x0, y0, z0) and radius r is the set of all points (x, y, z< ...

See also:

Sphere, Sphere - Geometry, Sphere - Equations, Sphere - Terminology, Sphere - Generalization to other dimensions, Sphere - Generalization to metric spaces, Sphere - Topology

Read more here: » Sphere: Encyclopedia II - Sphere - Geometry

Limestone is partially soluble, especially in acid, and therefore forms many erosion landforms. These include limestone pavements, pot holes, caves and gorges. Such erosion landscapes are known as karsts. Limestone is less resistant than most igneous rocks, but more resistant than most other sedimentary rocks. Limestone is therefore usually associated with hills and downland and occurs in regions with other sedimentary rocks, typically clays. Bands of limestone emerge from the Earth's surface in often spectacular rocky outcrops and is ...

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Limestone, Limestone - Limestone landscape, Limestone - Uses of limestone

Read more here: » Limestone: Encyclopedia II - Limestone - Limestone landscape

Unexpectedly, the first challenger to arrive at the Cell Games was the relatively weak human Mr. Satan who arrogantly boasted that Cell has no chance and taunted him. This was soon followed by the arrival of Vegeta, then a repaired Android 16, then the rest of the Z Fighters. Mr. Satan insisted on going first against Cell, and began the match with a demonstration of strength, shattering fourteen out of fifteen roof tiles in one stroke. Mr. Satan then launches a flurry of attacks against Cell, but they do nothing and Cell ignores it for a bit until he lose ...

See also:

Cell Dragon Ball, Cell Dragon Ball - Imperfect Cell Saga, Cell Dragon Ball - Perfect Cell Saga, Cell Dragon Ball - Cell Games Saga, Cell Dragon Ball - Non-canon, Cell Dragon Ball - Anime filler and movies, Cell Dragon Ball - Dragon Ball GT, Cell Dragon Ball - Special abilities, Cell Dragon Ball - Notes

Read more here: » Cell Dragon Ball: Encyclopedia II - Cell Dragon Ball - Cell Games Saga

Life - A conventional definition. In biology, a life form has traditionally been considered to be a member of a population whose members can exhibit all the following phenomena at least once during their existence: Growth, full development, maturity Metabolism, consuming, transforming and storing energy/mass; growing by absorbing and reorganizing mass; excreting waste Motion, either moving itself, or having internal motion Reproduction, the ability of individuals to create ...

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Life, Life - Defining the concept of life, Life - A conventional definition, Life - Exceptions to the conventional definition, Life - Other definitions, Life - Descent with modification: a useful characteristic, Life - Origin of life, Life - The possibility of extraterrestrial life

Read more here: » Life: Encyclopedia II - Life - Defining the concept of life

Victor was born to Werner von Doom, a noted Roma healer, and Cynthia von Doom, who was said to be a witch. His mother was killed when Victor was an infant. She had attempted to gain power to protect her gypsy tribe from persecution by the reigning authorities of Latveria. Unfortunately, she bargained with the demon Mephisto for power (in the Earth X comic, it was stated that her bargain was that, in exchange for her soul, Mephisto would ensure that her son became notable, however Earth X is an alternate reality and therefore no ...

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Doctor Doom, Doctor Doom - Character history, Doctor Doom - Goals, Doctor Doom - Adversaries, Doctor Doom - Powers and abilities, Doctor Doom - Ultimate Doctor Doom, Doctor Doom - Character history, Doctor Doom - Powers and abilities, Doctor Doom - Critical reaction, Doctor Doom - Appearances in other media, Doctor Doom - 2005 film, Doctor Doom - Daniel Dumile as MF Doom, Doctor Doom - Influences on other characters, Doctor Doom - Bibliography of comic books starring Doctor Doom

Read more here: » Doctor Doom: Encyclopedia II - Doctor Doom - Character history

Titans (Greek) In Greek mythology, builders of worlds, often called cosmocratores, and as microcosmic entities the progenitors of human races; as such, of various orders, so that in mythology they were considered good or bad, as angels or entities of matter.

Hesiod's original heaven-dwelling titans, six sons and six daughters of Ouranos and Gaia (heaven and earth), were Oceanos, Coios, Creios, Hyperion, Iapetos, Kronos, Theia, Rheia, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys, but other names were later included, such as Prometheus and Epimetheus; and later still the name was given to any descendant of Ouranos and Gaia. Rebellions taking place against the rulers of heaven, followed by falls and castings out, refer to the descent of creative powers to form new worlds and races. In the rebellion of titans, first against Ouranos in favor of Kronos, then against Kronos in favor of Zeus, the titans are mixed up with other sons of heaven and earth -- Hecatoncheires (hundred-handed), Cyclopes, etc. -- and the accounts in detail are extremely intricate and confused.

The titans, in one respect, are fourth root-race giants, the Hindu daityas, who at one time obtain the sovereignty of earth and defeat the minor gods; they are thus fallen beings -- Python, suras and asuras, corybantes, curetes, Dioscuri, anaktes, dii magni, idaei dactyli, lares, penates, manes, aletae, kabeirio, manus, rishis, and dhyani-chohans -- who watched over and incarnated in the elect of the third and fourth root-races.

(See also: Titans , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Earth Dictionary

Earth Besides being our terrestrial globe, earth is a comprehensive symbol, meaning the matter or vehicular side of manifestation as well as one of the four, five, or seven elements.

It is primordial undifferentiated matter which, by the action of spirit, produces the manifested worlds of entities. The Western alchemists called this Adam's Earth; in Greek mythology it is the lower side of Rhea. The bringing forth of animate beings was due to the marriage of heaven and earth, so that our earth is an offspring of this cosmic union. Connected with this meaning are the numerous allusions to earth as the nether pole of manifestation, and it is often synonymous with the nether regions, as Pluto, Yama, etc.

In the zodiac it is occasionally symbolized by Taurus, the bull which in popular astrology is the first and fixed earthy sign. As the lowest of the several elements, earth denotes physicalization, what we call physical matter being a combination of all four elements with the earth-element predominating. The pure element, however, is not physical, its characteristic property or tattva in connection with the human organs is smell, and its name in the Hindu system is prithivi-tattva; it is characterized by square or cubical forms and by fixity; the nature spirits pertaining to it were said by medieval European mystics to be the gnomes.

Our own earth is one of a system of planetary chains belonging to the solar system. The earth planetary chain consists of a coadunation or chain of seven or twelve globes, though the name earth is usually applied to the grossest globe, which alone is in direct rapport with our physical senses. The earth actually is an animate being, as are all the celestial globes.

(See also: Earth , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Earth Dictionary

Gaia theory science - Basis. This theory is based on the simple idea that the biomass self-regulates the conditions on the planet to make its physical environment (in particular temperature and chemistry of the atmosphere) on the planet more hospitable to the species which constitute its "life". The Gaia Hypothesis proper defined this "hospitality" as a full homeostasis. A simple model that is often used to illustrate the origina ...

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Gaia theory science, Gaia theory science - Range of views, Gaia theory science - Gaia theories, Gaia theory science - Early modern parallels, Gaia theory science - Lovelock initial hypothesis, Gaia theory science - Critical analysis, Gaia theory science - Basis, Gaia theory science - Criticism, Gaia theory science - DaisyWorld simulations, Gaia theory science - The First Gaia Conference, Gaia theory science - Strong Gaia theories, Gaia theory science - Semantic debate, Gaia theory science - Recent Developments, Gaia theory science - The Second Gaia Conference, Gaia theory science - Gaia hypothesis in ecology

Read more here: » Gaia theory science: Encyclopedia II - Gaia theory science - Critical analysis

CREATION MYTH - myths about the origins of the world, often falling in one of four types.

1. creation from nothing in which God fashions Heaven and Earth from sound, word/thought.

2. creation from a cosmic egg in which the universe arises from complementary opposite principles.

3. an Earth diver story in which an emissary from the heavenly realm plunges into the chaos below and brings up clay or mud to fashion the Earth.

4. an emergence myth in which the first people emerge into the world of light from the underworld below. (NAD)

(See also: CREATION MYTH , Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Earth Dictionary

Ancient scriptures say we have five sheaths: physical environment, physical body, mind, intuitive sheath or subtle environment, and the Self.

Indian tradition believes in the sanctity of nature. Our rishis perceived the mountains, rivers, Sun, Moon and trees to be sacred. That which is sacred is honoured. Environmental consciousness has been built into our way of life, to become our second nature. But when we start moving away from our nature we begin polluting the environment. Unfortunately, we pollute our rivers and mountains in the name of sacred rituals.

(See also: Spirituality and Ecology , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Spirituality and Ecology: Reverence for Nature Is The Only Way to Save It  

In the year 2021, a series of ring-shaped hyperspace gateways were constructed across the solar system, allowing for easy interplanetary travel. Unfortunately, the gate network contained a fatal instability that was ignored by the contractors who built the system. The instability grew until a gateway near Earth exploded, releasing a powerful burst of energy that cracked the Moon. In a disaster referred to as "the Gate Incident", meteoric debris from the Moon destroyed much of Earth's surface, killing billions. People mostly live underground, ...

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Cowboy Bebop, Cowboy Bebop - Longevity, Cowboy Bebop - History of Bebop, Cowboy Bebop - Plot, Cowboy Bebop - Background, Cowboy Bebop - Characters, Cowboy Bebop - Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop - Jet Black, Cowboy Bebop - Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop - Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, Cowboy Bebop - Ein, Cowboy Bebop - Vicious, Cowboy Bebop - Julia, Cowboy Bebop - Punch and Judy, Cowboy Bebop - The Three Old Men, Cowboy Bebop - Sessions episodes, Cowboy Bebop - Soundtrack, Cowboy Bebop - Staff, Cowboy Bebop - Influences, Cowboy Bebop - Controversial episodes, Cowboy Bebop - Content ratings, Cowboy Bebop - Licensing authors and publishers

Read more here: » Cowboy Bebop: Encyclopedia II - Cowboy Bebop - Background

The Ancients (or Alterans, as they originally called themselves) are a fictional race in the Stargate universe. Ancient Stargate - Overview. The Ancients were a member of the Alliance of Four Great Races, alongside the Asgard, the Nox and the Furlings. In addition to the Stargates, the Ancients left behind several repositories of Ancient knowledge, Dakara (which the Ancients used to cleanse the Milky Way of the invading virus), several military outposts similar to that found in Antarct ...

Including:

• Ancient Stargate - Overview
• Ancient Stargate - Creators of the Stargates
• Ancient Stargate - Move to the Pegasus Galaxy
• Ancient Stargate - Aftermath
• Ancient Stargate - Ancients on Earth
• Ancient Stargate - Legend of Atlantis
• Ancient Stargate - Ascension
• Ancient Stargate - Known Ancients
• Ancient Stargate - The Ancients and the Ori

Read more here: » Ancient Stargate: Encyclopedia - Ancient Stargate

edit In cosmology, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy which permeates all of space and has strong negative pressure. According to the theory of relativity, the effect of such a negative pressure is qualitatively similar to a force acting in opposition to gravity at large scales. Invoking such an effect is currently the most popular method for explaining the observations of an accelerating universe as well as accounting for a significant portion of the missing mass in the universe. Two prop ...

Including:

• Dark energy - Evidence for dark energy
• Dark energy - Nature of dark energy
• Dark energy - Cosmological constant
• Dark energy - Quintessence
• Dark energy - Other ideas
• Dark energy - Implications for the fate of the universe
• Dark energy - History

Read more here: » Dark energy: Encyclopedia - Dark energy

The Chronicles of Amber is a popular fantasy series by Roger Zelazny. It has inspired a roleplaying game and a video game. In the Amber stories, Amber and the Courts of Chaos are the only two true worlds; all others, including our Earth, are but "shadows" of the tension between them. Royals of Amber (and in the second series, the equivalent Chaos nobility) can freely travel through the shadows and alter them, but they cannot alter Amber itself. The Chronicles of Amber - The Chronicles. Including:

• The Chronicles of Amber - The Chronicles
• The Chronicles of Amber - The Corwin Cycle
• The Chronicles of Amber - The Merlin Cycle
• The Chronicles of Amber - Short Stories
• The Chronicles of Amber - The Dawn of Amber
• The Chronicles of Amber - Other works
• The Chronicles of Amber - The Amber Multiverse
• The Chronicles of Amber - The cast of characters
• The Chronicles of Amber - The Pattern and the Logrus
• The Chronicles of Amber - The Trumps
• The Chronicles of Amber - Order vs. Chaos... or is it?
• The Chronicles of Amber - Inspirations

Read more here: » The Chronicles of Amber: Encyclopedia - The Chronicles of Amber