ScienceAugust 27, 2026

milliarcseconds

MIL-ee-ark-sek-uhndz

Definition

A unit of angular measurement equal to one-thousandth of an arcsecond, used to describe extremely small celestial distances or deviations.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'mille' (thousand) combined with 'arcsecond,' which is a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/3600th of a degree.

In the news

The article uses the term to describe the extreme precision of the telescope's hardware, which must not tilt by more than 40 milliarcseconds to maintain image stability.

NASA's Roman Space Telescope Set to Launch This Week, Aiming to Directly Photograph Faint Exoplanets

Read the full article ↗

International Business Times Australia

Related words

bacteriocins

Naturally occurring proteins produced by bacteria that act as antibiotics to kill or…

Science

bioinformatician

A professional who applies computational tools, software, and statistical methods to…

Science

chromaticity

The objective specification of the quality of a color, determined by its hue and…

Science

evolvability

The capacity or potential of a biological system, such as a protein, to undergo…

Science

flockmates

Other individual birds that belong to the same group or flock as a specific bird.

Science

gazers

People who watch or observe something steadily and intently, especially something in the…

Science

Learn words like this every day

Meet new words every morning.

Newspoken pulls carefully chosen words from the day’s news — with clear definitions, context, and light review that makes them stick. Get it on your phone.