C2 · 50 words
Cosmology in Spanish
Expansion, background radiation, dark matter — how the universe as a whole is described.
La vela estándar is the standard candle, and la vela is one Spanish word where English keeps three. It is the candle you light. It is the sail of a boat — un barco de vela, and hacerse a la vela is to set sail. And it is the watch kept over somebody, awake at night: pasar la noche en vela means to lie awake, whether at a bedside or with a sick child, and estar en vela is to be wide awake at an hour when one should not be. All three come from the same picture, a light that is not put out; English chose candle, sail and vigil and lost the thread between them.
The words
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Phrase (46)
el universo observablethe part of the universe whose light has had time to arrivePhraseC2
El universo observable está limitado por la edad de la luz.The observable universe is limited by the age of the light.
el horizonte de partículasthe limit on what could ever have reached usPhraseC2
El horizonte de partículas limita lo que pudo alcanzarnos.The particle horizon limits what could have reached us.
la expansión del universothe growth of space itself, which has no centrePhraseC2
La expansión del universo no tiene centro.The expansion of the universe has no centre.
la constante de Hubblethe number that says how fast that growth goesPhraseC2
La constante de Hubble se mide de dos formas que no coinciden.The Hubble constant is measured two ways that do not agree.
el desplazamiento espectralthe shift of light towards the red, gathered along the wayPhraseC2
El desplazamiento espectral crece con la distancia.The spectral shift grows with distance.
la radiación de fondo de microondasthe glow left over from when the universe turned transparentPhraseC2
La radiación de fondo de microondas viene de todas partes.The microwave background comes from every direction.
la anisotropía del fondothe faint unevenness in that glow, which became the galaxiesPhraseC2
La anisotropía del fondo contiene la semilla de las galaxias.The anisotropy of the background holds the seed of the galaxies.
la época de recombinaciónthe moment the universe stopped being fogPhraseC2
La época de recombinación hizo transparente el universo.Recombination made the universe transparent.
la nucleosíntesis primordialthe making of the light elements in the first minutesPhraseC2
La nucleosíntesis primordial fijó la proporción de helio.Primordial nucleosynthesis fixed the proportion of helium.
la inflación cósmicathe very early stretch that ironed the universe flatPhraseC2
La inflación cósmica resuelve varios problemas de una vez.Cosmic inflation solves several problems at once.
el problema del horizontethe puzzle that regions too far apart to touch look the samePhraseC2
El problema del horizonte pregunta por qué todo está tan igual.The horizon problem asks why everything looks so alike.
la curvatura del espaciohow much space itself bends, which comes out very nearly flatPhraseC2
La curvatura del espacio se mide y sale casi plana.The curvature of space is measured and comes out nearly flat.
la densidad críticathe density that decides between an open and a closed universePhraseC2
La densidad crítica separa un universo abierto de uno cerrado.The critical density separates an open universe from a closed one.
el halo de materia oscurathe cloud of unseen mass wrapped round a galaxyPhraseC2
El halo de materia oscura envuelve a cada galaxia.The dark matter halo wraps around every galaxy.
la curva de rotación galácticathe speed of the outer stars, which does not fall off as it shouldPhraseC2
La curva de rotación galáctica no baja como debería.The galactic rotation curve does not fall off as it should.
la lente gravitacional débilthe slight bending of distant images, measured over many of themPhraseC2
La lente gravitacional débil se mide estadísticamente.Weak gravitational lensing is measured statistically.
la energía oscurawhatever it is that makes the expansion speed upPhraseC2
La energía oscura acelera la expansión.Dark energy speeds up the expansion.
la constante cosmológicathe term Einstein put in and took out, and which came backPhraseC2
La constante cosmológica volvió cuando ya se había retirado.The cosmological constant came back after it had been withdrawn.
la supernova de tipo uno athe exploding star whose true brightness is always the samePhraseC2
La supernova de tipo uno a sirve de vela estándar.The type Ia supernova serves as a standard candle.
la vela estándarthe object of known brightness, from which distance followsPhraseC2
La vela estándar permite medir distancias enormes.A standard candle allows enormous distances to be measured.
la escalera de distanciasthe chain of methods, each calibrated against the one beforePhraseC2
La escalera de distancias encadena métodos que se calibran entre sí.The distance ladder chains methods that calibrate one another.
el paralaje estelarthe shift of a nearby star against the far backgroundPhraseC2
El paralaje estelar es el primer peldaño de todo.Stellar parallax is the first rung of all of it.
la distancia de luminosidadthe distance read off a brightness, stretched by the expansionPhraseC2
La distancia de luminosidad crece con la expansión.The luminosity distance grows with the expansion.
la galaxia elípticathe galaxy that has almost stopped making starsPhraseC2
La galaxia elíptica ya casi no forma estrellas.The elliptical galaxy hardly forms stars any more.
el cúmulo de galaxiasthe group of galaxies held together by gravityPhraseC2
El cúmulo de galaxias está unido por gravedad.The galaxy cluster is held together by gravity.
la red cósmicathe pattern of filaments and voids the galaxies lie alongPhraseC2
La red cósmica deja vacíos enormes entre filamentos.The cosmic web leaves enormous voids between the filaments.
el vacío cósmicothe enormous empty region between the filamentsPhraseC2
El vacío cósmico ocupa la mayor parte del volumen.The cosmic void takes up most of the volume.
el agujero negro supermasivothe black hole of millions of solar masses at a galaxy's centrePhraseC2
El agujero negro supermasivo está en casi todas las galaxias.The supermassive black hole sits in nearly every galaxy.
el disco de acreciónthe ring of infalling matter that outshines the galaxyPhraseC2
El disco de acreción brilla más que la galaxia entera.The accretion disc shines brighter than the whole galaxy.
el fondo de ondas gravitacionalesthe hum of gravitational waves from countless sources at oncePhraseC2
El fondo de ondas gravitacionales suma fuentes incontables.The gravitational wave background adds up countless sources.
el interferómetro láserthe instrument that measures a change far smaller than an atomPhraseC2
El interferómetro láser mide desplazamientos ínfimos.The laser interferometer measures the tiniest displacements.
la fusión de agujeros negrosthe collision that gives out more power than all the starsPhraseC2
La fusión de agujeros negros dura menos de un segundo.The merger of black holes lasts less than a second.
la astronomía multimensajerothe practice of watching one event with light, waves and particlesPhraseC2
La astronomía multimensajero combina luz, ondas y partículas.Multi-messenger astronomy combines light, waves and particles.
el neutrino cósmicothe particle that goes through the planet without noticingPhraseC2
El neutrino cósmico atraviesa el planeta sin notarlo.The cosmic neutrino crosses the planet without noticing it.
el rayo cósmicothe particle arriving with energies no laboratory can reachPhraseC2
El rayo cósmico llega con energías imposibles en un laboratorio.The cosmic ray arrives with energies impossible in a laboratory.
el modelo cosmológico estándarthe model that fits nearly everything with a handful of numbersPhraseC2
El modelo cosmológico estándar encaja con casi todo.The standard cosmological model fits almost everything.
el principio cosmológicothe assumption that we occupy no special placePhraseC2
El principio cosmológico supone que no ocupamos un lugar especial.The cosmological principle assumes we occupy no special place.
la homogeneidad a gran escalathe sameness of the universe from place to placePhraseC2
La homogeneidad a gran escala solo aparece muy lejos.Large-scale homogeneity only appears very far out.
la isotropía del cielothe sameness of the sky in every directionPhraseC2
La isotropía del cielo se comprueba con el fondo de microondas.The isotropy of the sky is checked against the microwave background.
la edad del universothe figure several independent methods agree onPhraseC2
La edad del universo se deduce de varios caminos a la vez.The age of the universe is deduced along several paths at once.
el destino del universohow it ends, which depends on the dark energyPhraseC2
El destino del universo depende de la energía oscura.The fate of the universe depends on the dark energy.
el ajuste fino de las constantesthe fact that small changes in the constants would leave no observersPhraseC2
El ajuste fino de las constantes es un problema o no lo es, según a quién se pregunte.The fine-tuning of the constants is a problem or not, depending on whom you ask.
el principio antrópicothe reminder that we are here to ask the questionPhraseC2
El principio antrópico recuerda que estamos aquí para preguntarlo.The anthropic principle recalls that we are here to ask it.
la singularidad inicialthe point where the theory stops giving answersPhraseC2
La singularidad inicial marca dónde falla la teoría.The initial singularity marks where the theory fails.
la gravedad cuánticathe theory nobody has yet managed to write downPhraseC2
La gravedad cuántica sigue sin formularse del todo.Quantum gravity is still not fully formulated.
el telescopio espacialthe telescope put above the shimmer of the atmospherePhraseC2
El telescopio espacial evita el temblor de la atmósfera.The space telescope avoids the shimmer of the atmosphere.
Noun (f) (1)
la cosmologíathe study whose object exists in one copy onlyNoun (f)C2
La cosmología trabaja con un único ejemplar de su objeto.Cosmology works with a single specimen of its object.
Noun (m) (3)
el megapársecthe unit distances are given in out hereNoun (m)C2
El megapársec es la unidad de la cosmología.The megaparsec is the unit of cosmology.
el cuásarthe far-off point of light that no star could beNoun (m)C2
El cuásar se ve a distancias imposibles para una estrella.The quasar is seen at distances impossible for a star.
el multiversothe idea that ours is one universe among manyNoun (m)C2
El multiverso es una consecuencia, no una observación.The multiverse is a consequence, not an observation.
This list belongs to Nature and natural sciences — 31 lists and 1550 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.