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syzygy

syzygy

1 9.9
The Sun, Earth, and Moon line up, for example during an eclipse
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪzɪdʒi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sisegía
  • Astronomers study syzygy to understand the gravitational effects during full and new moons.
  • perigee syzygy

Examples

  • During a solar eclipse, the moon, Earth, and sun are perfectly aligned, a phenomenon known as syzygy.

  • They would label planets as "warm," "wet," "cold," etc. to describe the individual and combined effect of their conjunctions, syzygies, and oppositions on our growing seasons (primarily).

    Blog text (25)
  • They faced astounding words: hirsute, gnocchi, pulchritude, syzygy, which in their obscure but profound meaning seemed to elevate the audience to a higher level of spelling.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The next syzygy will be observed when the three celestial bodies align in a straight line.

Synonyms

alignment
vssyzygy
  • Specialized
20 6.8

When planets, the Sun and the Moon appear near each other in the sky

is a true straight line of three bodies inside one gravitational system
conjunction
vssyzygy
  • Specialized
4 8.6

When two planets or stars appear very close together in the sky

is an actual straight line of three bodies inside one gravitational system

How Aligned

syzygy
  • Specialized
1 9.9
alignment
  • Specialized
20 6.8

Surface Forms

syzygy singular
syzygies plural

Etymology

Syzygy comes from an old Greek word syzygia meaning 'yoked together', like a yoke that joins two animals. So syzygy is used for the Sun, Earth, and Moon when they line up in a straight line.