Castor
Encyclopedia
Castor derives from the (Kastōr), meaning "beaver", or "he who excels". It originally referred to Castor
, one of the Dioscuri/Gemini twins of Graeco-Roman mythology.
Castor or CASTOR may also refer to:
Castor and Pollux
In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri . Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who visited Leda in the guise of a swan...
, one of the Dioscuri/Gemini twins of Graeco-Roman mythology.
Castor or CASTOR may also refer to:
Science and technology
- Castor (star)Castor (star)Castor is the second brightest star in the constellation Gemini and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Although it has the Bayer designation "alpha", it is actually fainter than Beta Geminorum...
, α Geminorum - Castor (software)Castor (software)Castor is an open source data binding framework for moving data from XML to Java programming language objects and from Java to databases.-External links:*...
, data binding framework for Java - CASTOR (nuclear waste) (cask for storage and transport of radioactive material), containers used to transport highly radioactive nuclear waste
- CASTOR experiment, "Centauro and Strange Object Research", measurement tool in the Compact Muon SolenoidCompact Muon SolenoidThe Compact Muon Solenoid experiment is one of two large general-purpose particle physics detectors built on the proton-proton Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland and France. Approximately 3,600 people from 183 scientific institutes, representing 38 countries form the CMS collaboration...
experiment at CERN - CERN Advanced Storage Manager (CASTOR)
Biology
- Castor oil plantCastor oil plantThe castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It belongs to a monotypic genus, Ricinus, and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of castor and its relation to other species are currently being studied.Its seed is the castor bean which,...
, plant from which castor bean grows [poisonous if ingested, inhaled, or injected]- Castor oilCastor oilCastor oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean . Castor oil is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with mild or no odor or taste. Its boiling point is and its density is 961 kg/m3...
, oil of the castor bean - Castor waxCastor waxCastor wax, also called hydrogenated castor oil, is a hard, brittle, vegetable wax. It is produced by the hydrogenation of pure castor oil, in the presence of a nickel catalyst...
, type of wax produced from castor oil
- Castor oil
- Castor (genus)BeaverThe beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
, genus name of the beaver- CastoreumCastoreumCastoreum is the exudate from the castor sacs of the mature North American Beaver Castor canadensis and the European Beaver Castor fiber. Within the zoological realm, castoreum is the yellowish secretion of the castor sac in combination with the beaver's urine, used during scent marking of territory...
, natural scent derived from the beaver
- Castoreum
- Superfine sugar, also called caster sugar
Transport
- CasterCasterA caster is an undriven, single, double, or compound wheel that is designed to be mounted to the bottom of a larger object so as to enable that object to be easily moved...
, a type of wheel (spelling variant)- Caster angleCaster anglethumb|250px|θ is the caster angle, the red line is the pivot line, and the grey area is the tire.Caster angle or castor angle is the angular displacement from the vertical axis of the suspension of a steered wheel in a car, bicycle or other vehicle, measured in the longitudinal direction...
, alignment in the vertical longitudinal plane of a motor vehicle's wheels (a misspelling of caster)
- Caster angle
- Castor (rocket stage)Castor (rocket stage)The Castor family of solid-fuel rocket stages and boosters were built by Thiokol and used on a variety of launch vehicles. They were initially developed as the second stage motor of the Scout rocket...
, built by Thiokol - A steam locomotive of the South Devon Railway Eagle classSouth Devon Railway Eagle classThe Eagle class were sixteen 4-4-0 saddle tank broad gauge locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway, Cornwall Railway and associated adjacent railways...
- HMS CastorHMS CastorFour ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Castor. Named after one of the Gemini twins in Greek mythology. Castor also means "he who excels"....
, four ships of the Royal Navy - USS CastorUSS CastorUSS Castor is a name used more than once by the U.S. Navy:, a single turreted monitor, was named Castor from 15 June to 10 August 1869., a stores ship commissioned 12 March 1941....
, two ships of the United States Navy - Castor, Krebs class (Type 340) minesweeper, of the German Navy
First name
- Castor of RhodesCastor of RhodesCastor of Rhodes was a Greek grammarian and rhetorician, surnamed Philoromaeus, and is usually believed to have lived about the time of Cicero and Julius Caesar....
, Greek grammarian and rhetorician - Castor CanteroCastor CanteroCastor Sixto Cantero is a former football midfielder from Paraguay.Cantero was part of the Paraguay national football team that participated in the 1950 FIFA World Cup and the Copa America tournaments of 1946 and 1949...
(born 1918), Paraguayan football player - Castor McCordCastor McCordCastor "Cass" McCord was an American jazz saxophonist. He was the twin brother of saxophonist Ted McCord. McCord started out as a member of Edgar Hayes's Blue Grass Buddies in 1924. He then attended Wilberforce University, where he played in the student band run by Horace Henderson...
(1907–1963), American jazz saxophonist - Drusus Julius Caesar (13 BC-23 CE), Roman consul, son of the Emperor Tiberius, nicknamed "Castor"
- Saint Castor, the name of several Christian saints
- Castor of AptCastor of AptSaint Castor of Apt was a bishop of Apt, in Gaul.He was born in Nîmes and may have been the brother of Saint Leontius of Fréjus. Castor was a lawyer and married to a wealthy widow. He lived in Marseilles. His wife, however, allowed him to enter the religious life; she herself entered a nunnery....
(died ca. 420), French bishop of Apt - Castor of KardenCastor of KardenSaint Castor of Karden was a priest and hermit of the 4th century who is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. Castor was a pupil of Maximinus of Trier around 345 AD, and was ordained as a priest by Maximinus. Like his teacher, Castor may have come from the region of Aquitaine...
(died ca. 400), German priest and hermit - St. Castor & Dorotheus, Armenian early martyrs
- Castor of Apt
Surname
- Betty CastorBetty CastorBetty Castor , neeElizabeth Bowe, is an American educator and former politician and elected officeholder. Castor was elected to the Florida Senate and the Florida Education Commissioner, and she later served as the President of the University of South Florida, and President of the National Board...
(born 1941), American educator and politician - Brian CastorBrian CastorBrian Kenneth Castor was a Guyanese-born English cricketer who played for Essex. He was born in Mahaica and died in Maida Hill....
(1889–1979), English cricketer - Bruce Castor (born 1961), American lawyer and politician
- George A. CastorGeorge A. CastorGeorge Albert Castor was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania....
(1855–1906), American politician - Jimmy CastorJimmy CastorJimmy Castor is an American pop and funk musician. He is best known as a fun disco/funk saxophonist, with his biggest hit single being 1972's million seller, "Troglodyte ".-Career:...
(born 1947), American musician - Kathy CastorKathy CastorKathy Castor is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district covers most of the city of Tampa, most of south St...
(born 1966), American politician - Stacey CastorStacey CastorStacey Castor is a resident of Clay, New York and is a convicted murderer. In 2007, she was charged with second degree murder, second degree attempted murder, and offering a false instrument in the first degree...
(born 1968), American murderer
Fiction
- Castor OylCastor OylCastor Oyl is a fictitious character, created in 1919 by cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar for his comic strip Thimble Theater, now known as Popeye....
, fictional character in the Popeye cartoons - Castor Troy, fictional character in the 1997 movie Face/OffFace/OffFace/Off is a 1997 action thriller film directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The two both play an FBI agent and a terrorist, sworn enemies who assume the physical appearance of one another....
, portrayed by Nicolas Cage and John Travolta - Castor, fictional character in the video game Spartan: Total WarriorSpartan: Total WarriorSpartan: Total Warrior is a spin-off action game of the Total War series, developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. It was released on Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube...
- Lord Castor, fictional character in the 2007 movie The HarpyThe HarpyThe Harpy is a Sci Fi Pictures original film directed by Josh Becker. Stan Lee is the executive producer. The Harpy began pre-production on June 26, 2006 and first aired on June 23, 2007...
- Castor, fictional character in Tron: Legacy, portrayed by Michael SheenMichael SheenMichael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
Places
- Castor, AlbertaCastor, AlbertaCastor is a town in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is intersected by Highway 12 and Highway 861, east of the city of Red Deer, at an elevation .It was incorporated July 13, 1910...
, Canada - Castor, CambridgeshireCastor, CambridgeshireCastor is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority, about west of the city centre. The parish is part of the former Soke of Peterborough, which was considered part of Northamptonshire but was more recently part of Cambridgeshire.-History:Castor's toponym is derived...
, England - Castor, LouisianaCastor, LouisianaCastor is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It was established in 1900. The name "Castor" refers to the genus Castoridae beaver....
, United States - Castor (mountain)Castor (mountain)Castor is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Valais, Switzerland and the Aosta Valley in Italy. It is the higher of a pair of twin peaks , the other being Pollux, named after the Gemini twins of Roman mythology. Castor's peak is at an elevation of , and it lies between Breithorn...
, in the Pennine Alps - Castor BayCastor bayCastor Bay is a bay and suburb of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. Located between Milford and Campbells Bay it forms part of Auckland's East Coast Bays. To the east lies the islands of Rangitoto and Motutapu which are easily visible from land...
, Auckland, New Zealand - Castor CreekCastor CreekCastor Creek or Bayou Castor is a tributary of the Little River in north-central Louisiana in the United States. Via the Little, Ouachita and Red rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River....
, Louisiana, United States - Castor River (Missouri)Castor River (Missouri)The Castor River rises in southeastern Missouri near Fredericktown. The river flows south to Bollinger County and empties into the Headwater Diversion Channel, which flows into the Mississippi River just south of Cape Girardeau. The river below the Diversion Channel flows south until it reaches...
- Castor River (Ontario)Castor River (Ontario)The Castor River is a river in eastern Ontario, in Canada. It flows into the South Nation River near Casselman. It has a number of branches, including the North, Middle, South and East Castor Rivers which join in Embrun...
- An old name for Caistor St. EdmundCaistor St. EdmundCaistor St Edmund is a village on the River Tas, near Norwich, Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 270 in 116 households at the 2001 census....
, Norfolk, England
Other uses
- Castor (band)Castor (band)Castor was an American indie rock/emo band from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Formed in 1994, they were known for their "fluid" sound, often changing time signatures several times in a song while maintaining the flow of the music. They released two albums, the first self titled in 1995, the second...
, American rock band - Castor Cracking GroupCastor Cracking GroupCastor Cracking Group was a demo group from Sweden, and were active on the ZX Spectrum during 1986-88. They were one of the first groups for the ZX Spectrum with their release of Castor Intro early in 1986....
, Swedish music group - The Castor Club, an undergraduate secret society at the University of Toronto