AST 



107 



ATA 



^graphic projection of th? celestial 

 sphere, equivalent to the modern armil- 

 l.iry sphere. 



ASTROL'OGT, from eta-ryot, a star, and 

 Xoyof. discussion. This term, in its more 

 extended sense, is synonymous with astro- 

 nomy, but it has generally been empj.iyed 

 to denote the pseudo-science which pro- 

 fesses to explain the phenomena of nature 

 by astral influences, and to predict future 

 events, especially the character and fate 

 of persons, from the aspects or relative 

 positions of the heavenly bodies. This 

 latter department was called judicial as- 

 trology. 



ASTRON'OMT, from aurrgov, a star, and 

 ?0fto{ , law. The science which treats of 

 the heavenly bodies, their motions, posi- 

 tions, magnitudes, and all consequent 

 phenomena. It is founded on observation, 

 and perfected by calculation. See TABLE 

 celotc. 



ASTROSCOPE, from eta-Tfov, a star, and 

 e-zoTiv, to view. An astronomical instru- 

 ment consisting of two cones, on the sur- 

 faces of which the constellations are deli- 

 neated according to their respective posi- 

 tions in the heavens, so that by observing 

 any particular star, and the position of 

 another with regard to it, that other may 

 be known by reference to the astroscope. 



AS'TCR, a genus of accipitrine birds, 

 including the goshawks and sparrow- 

 hawks. Name anciently applied to the 

 buzzard. 



AiT''-rM, from afu\ti t of a, not, and 



j <rvXa. u> plunder. A place where pr- 



I sons find protection. The name wa an- 



1 ciently given to temples, statues of the 



gods, and altars where criminals and 



debtors sheltered themselves from justice, 



it being sacrilege forcibly to remove 



them. In modern times the name is given 



to many charitable institutions, for 'the 



relief of orphans, and persons who are 



blind, dumb and deaf, lunatic, &c. 



ASTM'METRY, from a., not, and rvpfAi- 

 reict, symmetry. A want of proportion 

 between parts. Applied in mathematia in 

 the same sense as incommensurability, 

 e.g. 1 : v/2. 



ASYM'PTOTE, from , not, and FUU^ 

 irvrrti, to fall together (coincide). A right 

 or straight line which continually ap- 

 proaches a curve, but which, though both 

 were infinitely extended, would never 

 meet it; or it may be regarded as a tan- 

 gent to the curve, when infinitely pro- 

 duced, or at an infinite distance. Set 



HYPERBOLE. 



ASYN'DETON, from , not, and truv$in, 

 to bind together. A grammatical figure, 

 which omits the connective, in order to 

 render the expression more forcible and 

 lively, as ti, ridi, vici. 



AT'ABAL, a Spanish word, meaning ft 

 kettle-drum, and used to designate a kind 

 of tabor. 



ATAC'AMITE. prismatoidal green mala- 

 chite ; a native muriate of copper. It 

 takes its name from its being found in al- 

 luvial sand in the river of l.ipas. in tlia 



Vesta, Juno, Ceres, and Pallas were discovered in the early part cf the J9tn century, 

 and a numerous rt of discoveries of other planetoids, or small planett, forming with these 



Cof the remarkable group between Mars and Jupiter with orbits at a great deviation 

 i the plane of the ecliptic, hare since been made An attempt to give them namlei 

 failed, as up to 1876 they ha.l reached the vast number of about 156, and the simpler 

 mefod has been adopted of indicating them by an easily remembered distinction and A 

 ynabol, i.e., by placing their number in the ,rder of discovery within a small circle. 



