List of Astronomy Acronyms - M

M

  • MARVEL – (project) Multi-object Apache Point Observatory Radial Velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey, a NASA-funded project to search for exoplanets
  • M – (catalog) Messier
  • M – (celestial object) Mira, a class of long period pulsating variable stars named after Mira, the archetype for the class
  • MAC – (observing program) Multi instrument Aircraft Campaign, a program to study the cometary dust from the Leonids meteor showers
  • MACHO – (celestial object/observing program/catalog) MAssive Compact Halo Object, an object in the Milky Way's halo thought to comprise part of the galaxy's dark matter; also a survey to detect these sources through gravitational lensing and the catalog of sources detected by the survey
  • MACS (catalogue) Magellanic Catalogue of Stars
  • MAGIC – (telescope) Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov telescope
  • MAP – (telescope) Microwave-background Anisotropy Probe, an older name for the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe
  • MASER – (astrophysics terminology) Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, microwave emission that is similar to the optical emission from a laser
  • MBA – (celestial object) Main Belt Asteroid
  • MBH – (celestial object) Massive Black Hole
  • MCG – (catalog) Morphological Catalog of Galaxies
  • MCO – (spacecraft) Mars Climate Orbiter
  • MDS – (observing program) Medium Deep Survey, a survey of high-redshift galaxies with the Hubble Space Telescope
  • MECO – (celestial object) Magnetospheric Eternally Collapsing Object, a type of object proposed as an alternative to supermassive black holes as the central compact source within active galactic nuclei
  • MEPAG – (organization) Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group
  • MEPCO – (meeting) Meeting of European Planetary and Cometary Observers
  • MER – (spacecraft) Mars Exploration Rover
  • MGC – (catalog/observing program) Millennium Galaxy Catalogue
  • MGS – (spacecraft) Mars Global Surveyor
  • MHD – (astrophysics terminology) MagnetoHydroDynamic
  • MICO – (software) Multi-year Interactive Computer Almanac, astronomy almanac software created by the United States Naval Observatory
  • MIPS – (instrumentation) Multi-band Imaging Photometer, an instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope
  • MJD – (astrophysics terminology) Modified Julian Date, the Julian date minus 2400000.5
  • MLO – (organization)
  • MMO – (spacecraft) Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, JAXA space probe to Mercury
  • MMR – (astrophysics terminology) Mean-Motion Resonance
  • MMT – (telescope) Multiple Mirror Telescope
  • MNRAS – (publication) Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
  • MO – (spacecraft) Mars Observer
  • MOA – (observing program) Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics, a survey searching for gravitational lenses
  • MOC – (instrumentation) Mars Observer Camera, an instrument on the Mars Observer
  • MOID – (astrophysics terminology) Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance, the minimum distance between two objects' orbital paths
  • MOLA – (instrumentation) Mars Observer Laser Altimeter, an instrument on the Mars Observer used to study Mars's topology
  • MOND – (astrophysics terminology) Modified Newtonian Dynamics
  • MONS – (telescope) Measuring Oscillations in Nearby Stars, a Danish space telescope that was proposed and designed but not built
  • MOST – (telescope) Microvariability and Oscillations of STars, a space telescope designed to detect oscillations in the atmospheres of stars and extrasolar planetss in orbit around other stars
  • MOST – (telescope) Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope, an Australian radio telescope
  • MOTIF – (telescope) Maui Optical Tracking and Identification Facility
  • MOXE – (instrumentation) Monitoring X-ray Experiment, an X-ray all-sky monitor designed for the Spectrum-X-Gamma satellite
  • MPC – (publication) Minor Planet Circulars (also called Minor Planets and Comets)
  • MPEC – (publication) Minor Planet Electronic Circular
  • MPF – (spacecraft) Mars PathFinder
  • MPL – (spacecraft) Mars Polar Lander
  • MPO – (space craft) Mercury Planetary Orbiter, ESA space craft to Mercury
  • MPP – (instrumentation) Multi-Pinned-Phase, CCD technology that reduces dark current noise
  • MPCS – (publication) Minor Planet circulars Supplement
  • MPS – (observing project) Microlensing Planet Search, a program designed that detect extrasolar planets using a gravitational lensing technique
  • MRO – (spacecraft) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
  • MSP – (celestial object) MilliSecond Pulsar
  • MSSS – (organization) Maui Space Surveillance Site
  • MSX – (telescope) Midcourse Space EXperiment, an infrared space telescope
  • MSSSO – (organization) Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories
  • MUNICS – (observing program) MUnich Near-Infrared Cluster Survey
  • MUSES – (spacecraft) MU Space Engineering Spacecraft, a Japanese science-related spacecraft launched in a Mu rocket
  • MUSTANG – (instrumentation) Multiplexed SQUID TES Array at Ninety GHz, A bolometer camera on the Green Bank Telescope.
  • MW – (celestial object) Milky Way
  • MWD – (celestial object) Magnetic White Dwarf
  • MXRB – (celestial object) Massive X-Ray Binary, an X-ray-luminous binary system consisting of a compact star and a very massive star
  • MYSO – (celestial object) Massive Young Stellar Object

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