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Vulcan |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.01 sec. |
Vulcan, in astronomyVulcan, in astronomy, hypothetical planet whose existence was proposed by Leverrier to explain part of the advance of the perihelion of Mercury Mercury, in astronomy, nearest planet to the sun, at a mean distance of 36 million mi (58 million km); its period of revolution is 88 days. Mercury passes through phases similar to those of the moon as it completes each revolution about the sun, although the visible..... Click the link for more information. , not all of which could be accounted for by gravitational effects of the other planets under the Newtonian theory of gravitation gravitation, the attractive force existing between any two particles of matter . The Law of Universal GravitationSince the gravitational force is experienced by all matter in the universe, from the largest galaxies down to the smallest particles, it ..... Click the link for more information. . The general theory of relativity relativity, physical theory, introduced by Albert Einstein, that discards the concept of absolute motion and instead treats only relative motion between two systems or frames of reference. ..... Click the link for more information. explains the observed advance of the perihelion of Mercury as being caused by the curvature of space in the vicinity of the sun as a result of the sun's large mass. Vulcan, in Roman religion and mythologyVulcan, in Roman religion and mythology, fire god. Chiefly a god of destructive fire, Vulcan seems to have originated as a god of volcanoes. His festival, the Volcanalia, was held on Aug. 23. He was later identified with the Greek Hephaestus Hephaestus (hĕfĕs`təs), in Greek religion and mythology, Olympian god...... Click the link for more information. . VulcanAncient Roman god of fire. He was the counterpart of the Greek Hephaestus. Vulcan was especially associated with the destructive aspects of fire, such as volcanoes or conflagrations, and for this reason his temples were usually located outside the city. His chief festival, the Volcanalia, was marked by a rite in which the heads of Roman families threw fish into the fire. Often invoked to avert fire, he was addressed with epithets such as Mulciber (“Fire Allayer”). VulcanHypothetical planet within the orbit of Mercury. It was predicted in 1859 by Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier (1811–77) to account for an unexplained component of the precession of Mercury's orbit. Sightings were reported between 1859 and 1878, but these were not confirmed subsequently by observations made either during solar eclipses or when the planet was predicted to cross the Sun. The anomalies of Mercury's orbit were later explained by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. Vulcan god of destruction, placated by gifts of captured weapons. [Rom. Myth.: Howe, 294] See : Destruction Vulcan blacksmith of gods; personification of fire. [Art: Hall, 128] See : Fire
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| "Mouston," said Porthos, "saddle Vulcan and Bayard. But the heavenly beings were disquieted throughout the house of Jove, till the cunning workman Vulcan began to try and pacify his mother Juno. In these so-called books, the chief lover, or Greek god, as he is admiringly referred to--by the way, they do not say which "Greek god" it is that the gentleman bears such a striking likeness to; it might be hump-backed Vulcan, or double-faced Janus, or even driveling Silenus, the god of abstruse mysteries. |
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Vulcan
