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Lyra
Lyra (abbr. Lyr, gen. Lyrae) A prominent constellation of the northern sky, representing a lyre. Its brightest star is Vega. Beta Lyrae (Sheliak) is an eclipsing binary, the prototype of the Beta Lyrae stars; it varies between magnitudes 3.3 and 4.4 in a period of 12.9 days. It is also a double star, with a fainter component of magnitude 7.2. Delta Lyrae is a wide double, magnitudes 4.2 and 5.6, while Epsilon Lyrae is a famous quadruple star, the Double Double. Zeta Lyrae is another double star, magnitudes 4.4 and 5.7. RR Lyrae is the prototype of the RR Lyrae stars, an important class of pulsating variables. M57 is a well-known planetary nebula, the Ring Nebula. The Lyrid meteors radiate from the constellation every April.
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"Lyra." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lyra." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-Lyra.html "Lyra." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-Lyra.html |
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Lyra
Lyra [Lat.,=the lyre], northern constellation lying S of Draco, E of Hercules, and W of Cygnus. Although many civilizations represented it as a bird, it was also depicted as a tortoise. The white star Vega (Alpha Lyrae), the brightest star in the constellation, is one of the brightest in the entire sky. Just NE of Vega is Epsilon Lyrae, one of the few double stars that can be resolved with the naked eye. Also in Lyra is the Ring Nebula, the most famous of the planetary nebulae, consisting of a shell of gas separated from and expanding from a central star. Lyra reaches its highest point in the evening sky in August. |
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"Lyra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lyra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lyra.html "Lyra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lyra.html |
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Lyra
Lyra ♀ Modern coinage, apparently from Latin lyra ‘lyre’ choice as a given name evokes images of gentle music and harmony.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Lyra." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Lyra." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Lyra.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Lyra." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Lyra.html |
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lyra
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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "lyra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "lyra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-lyra.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "lyra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-lyra.html |
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Lyra
Lyra •airer, bearer, carer, Clara, darer, declarer, Demerara, Éire, habanera, Halmahera, parer, Perak, primavera, repairer, Rivera, Riviera, Sarah, scarer, sharer, snarer, sparer, squarer, starer, swearer, tearer, wearer
•cause célèbre • torch-bearer
•swordbearer • pallbearer • wayfarer
•seafarer • capoeira • Phaedra
•sacra, simulacra
•Libra, vers libre
•ex cathedra
•chypre, Ypres
•palaestra (US palestra) • urethra
•joie de vivre
•mirror, sirrah
•Coimbra • Middlesbrough • Indra
•Sintra
•aspidistra, sistra
•algebra • orchestra • vertebra
•Beira, Fujairah, Hegira, Lyra, Myra, naira, palmyra, spirogyra
•Hydra • Lycra
•begorra, Gomorrah, horror
•double entendre • genre • amour propre • Le Nôtre • contra
•Cosa Nostra, rostra
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Cite this article
"Lyra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lyra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Lyra.html "Lyra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Lyra.html |
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