Sphere (disambiguation)
Encyclopedia
A sphere
is an object shaped like a ball
and can also be used to refer to a sphere-like region or shell.
Sphere may also refer to:
):
Sphere
A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...
is an object shaped like a ball
Ball
A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
and can also be used to refer to a sphere-like region or shell.
Sphere may also refer to:
In mathematics
- Ball (mathematics)Ball (mathematics)In mathematics, a ball is the space inside a sphere. It may be a closed ball or an open ball ....
, the volume inside a sphere - n-sphere, the set of points a fixed distance from a central point in n+1 dimensional space
In astronomy
- Celestial sphereCelestial sphereIn astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an imaginary sphere of arbitrarily large radius, concentric with the Earth and rotating upon the same axis. All objects in the sky can be thought of as projected upon the celestial sphere. Projected upward from Earth's equator and poles are the...
, the astronomical description of the sky - Armillary sphereArmillary sphereAn armillary sphere is a model of objects in the sky , consisting of a spherical framework of rings, centred on Earth, that represent lines of celestial longitude and latitude and other astronomically important features such as the ecliptic...
, a physical model of the celestial sphere - Celestial spheresCelestial spheresThe celestial spheres, or celestial orbs, were the fundamental entities of the cosmological models developed by Plato, Eudoxus, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus and others...
or planetary spheres, refer to a geocentric model of the universe and the associated postulate of a "Musica Universalis" (Music of the Spheres) - Hill sphereHill sphereAn astronomical body's Hill sphere is the region in which it dominates the attraction of satellites. To be retained by a planet, a moon must have an orbit that lies within the planet's Hill sphere. That moon would, in turn, have a Hill sphere of its own...
, the spherical region around an astronomical body where the primary gravitational influence on an orbiting object is that body - Sphere of influence (astrodynamics)Sphere of influence (astrodynamics)A sphere of influence in astrodynamics and astronomy is the spherical region around a celestial body where the primary gravitational influence on an orbiting object is that body...
, similar to the Hill sphere, but smaller, only about 60% of the radius - Sphere of influence (astronomy)Sphere of influence (astronomy)The sphere of influence is a region around a supermassive black hole in which the gravitational potential of the black hole dominates the gravitational potential of the host galaxy....
, a region around a supermassive black hole
In Earth science/planetary science
- AtmosphereAtmosphereAn atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
- Earth's atmosphereEarth's atmosphereThe atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
/Celestial body atmospheres- TroposphereTroposphereThe troposphere is the lowest portion of Earth's atmosphere. It contains approximately 80% of the atmosphere's mass and 99% of its water vapor and aerosols....
- StratosphereStratosphereThe stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
- MesosphereMesosphereThe mesosphere is the layer of the Earth's atmosphere that is directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere. In the mesosphere temperature decreases with increasing height. The upper boundary of the mesosphere is the mesopause, which can be the coldest naturally occurring...
- ThermosphereThermosphereThe thermosphere is the biggest of all the layers of the Earth's atmosphere directly above the mesosphere and directly below the exosphere. Within this layer, ultraviolet radiation causes ionization. The International Space Station has a stable orbit within the middle of the thermosphere, between...
- ExosphereExosphereThe exosphere is the uppermost layer of Earth's atmosphere. In the exosphere, an upward travelling molecule moving fast enough to attain escape velocity can escape to space with a low chance of collisions; if it is moving below escape velocity it will be prevented from escaping from the celestial...
- MagnetosphereMagnetosphereA magnetosphere is formed when a stream of charged particles, such as the solar wind, interacts with and is deflected by the intrinsic magnetic field of a planet or similar body. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the other planets with intrinsic magnetic fields: Mercury, Jupiter,...
- Troposphere
- Earth's atmosphere
- BiosphereBiosphereThe biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
- AnthroposphereAnthroposphereThe anthroposphere is that part of the environment that is made or modified by humans for use in human activities and human habitats...
- Anthroposphere
- HydrosphereHydrosphereA hydrosphere in physical geography describes the combined mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of a planet....
- CryosphereCryosphereThe cryosphere is the term which collectively describes the portions of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground . Thus there is a wide overlap with the hydrosphere...
(sometimes included in the hydrosphere)
- Cryosphere
- GeosphereGeosphereThe term geosphere is often used to refer to the densest parts of Earth, which consist mostly of rock and regolith. The geosphere consists of the inside of the Earth or other planets or bodies....
- LithosphereLithosphereThe lithosphere is the rigid outermost shell of a rocky planet. On Earth, it comprises the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater.- Earth's lithosphere :...
- PedospherePedosphereThe pedosphere is the outermost layer of the Earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes. It exists at the interface of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. The sum total of all the organisms, soils, water and air is termed as the "pedosphere"...
(Soil) - Crust (geology)Crust (geology)In geology, the crust is the outermost solid shell of a rocky planet or natural satellite, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle...
- Pedosphere
- Mantle (geology)Mantle (geology)The mantle is a part of a terrestrial planet or other rocky body large enough to have differentiation by density. The interior of the Earth, similar to the other terrestrial planets, is chemically divided into layers. The mantle is a highly viscous layer between the crust and the outer core....
- AsthenosphereAsthenosphereThe asthenosphere is the highly viscous, mechanically weak and ductilely-deforming region of the upper mantle of the Earth...
- Mesosphere (mantle)Mesosphere (mantle)The mesosphere refers to the mantle in the region between the asthenosphere and the outer core. The upper boundary is defined as the sharp increase in seismic wave velocities and density at a depth of 660 km...
- Asthenosphere
- Planetary corePlanetary coreThe planetary core consists of the innermost layer of a planet.The core may be composed of solid and liquid layers, while the cores of Mars and Venus are thought to be completely solid as they lack an internally generated magnetic field. In our solar system, core size can range from about 20% to...
- Inner coreInner coreThe inner core of the Earth, its innermost hottest part as detected by seismological studies, is a primarily solid ball about in radius, or about 70% that of the Moon...
- Outer coreOuter coreThe outer core of the Earth is a liquid layer about 2,266 kilometers thick composed of iron and nickel which lies above the Earth's solid inner core and below its mantle. Its outer boundary lies beneath the Earth's surface...
- Inner core
- Lithosphere
In stellar physics
- The layers of a star, in particular of the SunSunThe Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
- Solar coreSolar coreThe core of the Sun is considered to extend from the center to about 0.2 to 0.25 solar radius. It is the hottest part of the Sun and of the Solar System. It has a density of up to 150 g/cm³ and a temperature of close to 15,000,000 kelvin...
- Radiation zoneRadiation zoneThe radiation zone is the middle zone in the Sun's interior. Energy travels out of the core into the radiation zone. Energy that travels through the radiation zone is in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The radiation zone is so dense that the waves bounce around...
- Convection zoneConvection zoneThe convection zone of a star is the range of radii in which energy is transported primarily by convection. In the radiation zone, energy is transported by radiation...
- PhotospherePhotosphereThe photosphere of an astronomical object is the region from which externally received light originates. The term itself is derived from Ancient Greek roots, φῶς, φωτός/phos, photos meaning "light" and σφαῖρα/sphaira meaning "sphere", in reference to the fact that it is a spheric surface perceived...
- ChromosphereChromosphereThe chromosphere is a thin layer of the Sun's atmosphere just above the photosphere, roughly 2,000 kilometers deep....
- CoronaCoronaA corona is a type of plasma "atmosphere" of the Sun or other celestial body, extending millions of kilometers into space, most easily seen during a total solar eclipse, but also observable in a coronagraph...
- Solar core
In geology
A type of spherical stone (Stone ballsStone balls
The terms Stone balls, "stone ball", "stone spheres", and "stone sphere" have been used to designate spherical stone objects of both natural and artificial origin...
):
- Artificial stone spheres (PetrospherePetrosphereIn archaeology, a petrosphere is the name for any spherical man-made object of any size that is composed of stone. These mainly prehistoric artefacts may have been created and/or selected, but altered in some way to perform their specific function, including carving and painting.Several classes of...
s)- LapidaryLapidaryA lapidary is an artist or artisan who forms stone, mineral, gemstones, and other suitably durable materials into decorative items such as engraved gems, including cameos, or cabochons, and faceted designs...
spheres - Stone Round shotRound shotRound shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
(cannonballs) - Spherical stone shot for TrebuchetTrebuchetA trebuchet is a siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages. It is sometimes called a "counterweight trebuchet" or "counterpoise trebuchet" in order to distinguish it from an earlier weapon that has come to be called the "traction trebuchet", the original version with pulling men instead of...
s - Stone spheres of Costa RicaStone spheres of Costa RicaThe stone spheres of Costa Rica are an assortment of over three hundred petrospheres in Costa Rica, located on the Diquis Delta and on Isla del Caño. Known locally as Las Bolas, they are also called The Diquis Spheres...
- Carved Stone BallsCarved Stone BallsCarved Stone Balls are petrospheres, usually round and rarely oval. They have from 3 to 160 protruding knobs on the surface. Their size is fairly uniform, they date from the late Neolithic to possibly the Iron Age and are mainly found in Scotland...
of Scotland
- Lapidary
- Natural stone spheres
- Spherulites (Megaspherulites)
- Concretions (cannonball)
- Spheroidal weatheringSpheroidal weatheringSpheroidal weathering is a type of chemical weathering that creates rounded boulders and helps to create domed monoliths. This should not be confused with stream abrasion, a physical process which also creates rounded rocks on a much smaller scale...
that creates spherical corestones
Figurative/metaphorical
- NoosphereNoosphereNoosphere , according to the thought of Vladimir Vernadsky and Teilhard de Chardin, denotes the "sphere of human thought". The word is derived from the Greek νοῦς + σφαῖρα , in lexical analogy to "atmosphere" and "biosphere". Introduced by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 1922 in his Cosmogenesis"...
, the sphere of human thought and/or creativity - Sphere of influenceSphere of influenceIn the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....
, a metaphorical region of influence surrounding a country, person or concept - Cultural regionCultural regionCultural region is a term used mainly in the fields of anthropology and geography. Specific cultures often do not limit their geographic coverage to the borders of a nation state, or to smaller subdivisions of a state...
, such as:- AnglosphereAnglosphereAnglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
- IndosphereIndosphereIndosphere is a subgrouping of Tibeto-Burman languages as defined by linguist James Matisoff, which includes languages that are typologically and morphologically a closeness to Indo-Aryan languages...
- SinosphereSinosphereIn areal linguistics, Sinosphere refers to a grouping of countries and regions that are currently inhabited with a majority of Chinese population or were historically under Chinese cultural influence...
- Anglosphere
Popular culture
- De sphaera mundiDe sphaera mundiDe sphaera mundi is a medieval introduction to the basic elements of astronomy written by Johannes de Sacrobosco c. 1230...
(The Sphere), a medieval astronomy book by Johannes de Sacrobosco - The SphereThe SphereThe Sphere is a large metallic sculpture by German sculptor Fritz Koenig, currently displayed in Battery Park, New York City, that once stood in the middle of Austin J. Tobin Plaza, the area between the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan...
, a 1971 large metallic sculpture located between the twin towers of the former World Trade Center - The Sphere (newspaper)The Sphere (newspaper)The Sphere was a British newspaper, published weekly from 27 January 1900 until the closure of the paper on 27 June 1964; the first issue came out at the height of the Boer War and was no doubt a product of that conflict and the public appetite for images...
, a British weekly newspaper which ran between 1900 and 1964 - Sphere BooksSphere Books-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...
, a British paperback-publisher from the 1960s to the 1980s - Sphere (novel)Sphere (novel)Sphere is a science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton and published in 1987. It was made into the film Sphere in 1998.The novel follows Norman Johnson as a psychologist who is engaged by the United States Navy to join a team of scientists assembled by the U.S. Government to examine an...
, a 1987 book written by Michael Crichton - Sphere (film)Sphere (film)Sphere is a 1998 science fiction psychological thriller film, starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson. Sphere was based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park and The Lost World...
, a 1998 film based on the 1987 novel, starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L. Jackson - Spheres (TV series), a Korean animation
- Sphere (program)Sphere (program)Sphere is a cross-platform, open source computer program designed primarily to make role-playing games similar to those found on the SNES and Sega Genesis consoles. Sphere was originally coded by Chad Austin...
, a cross-platform open-source computer program for making role-playing games - SPHERE, an instrumentation project at the Very Large TelescopeVery Large TelescopeThe Very Large Telescope is a telescope operated by the European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT consists of four individual telescopes, each with a primary mirror 8.2m across, which are generally used separately but can be used together to...
(VLT) to directly image extrasolar planets - SPHERESSPHERESThe Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites experiment is a testbed consisting of three miniaturized satellites that can operate in a variety of environments, including inside the International Space Station...
, Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites formation flight testbed developed by MIT's Space Systems Laboratory - Sphere (website)Sphere (Website)Sphere was a blog search engine. The Sphere search engine delivered blog posts based on algorithms that combine semantic matching with authority factors to deliver results relevant to the search query.Sphere also organized bloggers by topic....
, the blog search engine - Dresspheres in the game Final Fantasy X-2 are used to change character classes
- Sphere, a rumored internal development name for the PlayStation Move controller
Music
- Sphere (band)Sphere (band)Sphere were an American jazz ensemble which began as a tribute to Thelonious Monk. Consisting of Monk's longtime tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and Monk's former drummer Ben Riley, saxophonist Gary Bartz assumed Rouse's place after his death in...
, American jazz ensemble - Sphere3Sphere3Sphere3 are a progressive rock / jazz fusion band from Great Britain.-Background:Originally formed in the 1990s, the band has been constantly evolving ever since. Starting out as a five-piece progressive rock band with vocals, they later became a fully instrumental ensemble playing many musical...
, a Progressive Rock/Jazz Fusion band - Sphere (Japanese band)Sphere (Japanese band)is a J-pop idol unit made up of voice actresses who are all managed by Sony Music Entertainment, under the Lantis music label in the Music Ray'n subdivision of GloryHeaven. The group debuted in April 2009 releasing their first single "Future Stream"...
, a Japanese pop idol unit - Sphere (album)Sphere (album)-Personnel:*Masami Akita – computer, percussion,*Jenny Akita – photography*John Zorn – executive producer*Kazunori Sugiyama – executive producer *Scott Hull – mastering*Heung-Heung Chin – artwork...
, a 2005 album by noise music artist Merzbow - "Spheres" (instrumental), a 2007 single by Mike Oldfield
- Spheres (Pestilence album), 1993
- Spheres (Delerium album)Spheres (Delerium album)Spheres is an album by Canadian industrial/electronic music group Delerium in 1994 .-Track listing:#"Monolith" – 10:03#"Transmitter" – 13:36#"Wavelength" – 13:22#"Colony" – 12:06#"Dark Matter" – 7:30#"Cloud Barrier" – 6:42...
- Spheres 2Spheres 2Spheres 2 is an album by Canadian industrial/electronic music group Delerium in 1994 .-Track listing:#"Morphology" – 9:28#"TransHumanist" – 10:11#"Shockwave" – 8:33#"Dimensional Space" – 5:27#"Hypoxia" – 8:50#"Otherworld" – 4:49...
, a 1994 album by Delerium
- Spheres 2
- "Sphere", a song by John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer from their 2004 album A Sphere in the Heart of SilenceA Sphere in the Heart of SilenceA Sphere in the Heart of Silence is a studio album by John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer, released on November 23, 2004 on Record Collection. The fifth in a series of six releases Frusciante issued, from June 2004 to February 2005, the album is composed mainly of electronica-based...