Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 05:21, 29 November 2005

Syzygy can refer to any of several different things:

Astronomy

In astronomy, a syzygy (Greek: "yoked together") is a situation where three celestial bodies are positioned along a straight line. The word is usually used in context with the Sun, Earth, and the Moon or a planet, where the latter is in conjunction or opposition. Solar and lunar eclipses are examples of syzygies, as are transits and occultations. The term is also applied to each instance of new moon or full moon when Sun and Moon are in conjunction or opposition even though they are not exactly on one line with the Earth.

The word is also often loosely used to describe interesting configurations of planets in general. For example, situations when all the planets are on the same side of the sun are sometimes called syzygies, although they are not necessarily found along a straight line.

Philosophy

The Russian theologian/philosopher Vladimir Solovyov used the word 'syzygy' to signify "unity-friendship-community," used as either an adjective or a noun.

Psychology

In psychology, Carl Gustav Jung used the term syzygy to denote an archetypal pairing of contrasexual opposites, which symbolized the communication of the conscious and unconscious minds.

Mathematics

In mathematics, a syzygy is a relation between the generators of a module. All such relations create what is called the first syzygy module. The relations between generators of the first syzygy module form the second syzygy module. This process can be repeated indefinitely, forming higher-order syzygy modules. See Hilbert's syzygy theorem.

Medicine

In Medicine, the term is used to signify the fusion of some or all the organs.

Games

• Project Syzygy is an alternate reality game, now referred to as Perplex City. A summary can be found here. For more detailed information, see the Project Syzygy Wiki.
• Syzygy is also the name of a word puzzle game made by Little Fish Industries.
• Syzygy is the original name for the company Atari, but it was changed because another company already had the name.
• Syzygy is the name of a bot in Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004
• The Syzygy Cult is a freeware development company active during the mid 1990s who developed classic Apple Macintosh games. For more detail, see Syzygy Cult.

Comics

Syzygy Darklock is a key character in the Space Opera Dreadstar, premier title of Epic Comics. Syzygy is a sort of sorcerer, the founder of the team which stars in that series. Syzygy is also a webcomic by Alicorn.

Books

• Syzygy, a 1975 science fiction novel by Michael G. Coney
• Syzygy, a 1982 science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl

These novels are completely unrelated except for the concept of aligned planetary bodies.

• The Perfect Host, a 1948 science fiction novella by Theodore Sturgeon

• It Wasn't Syzygy, a 1947 fantasy short story by Theodore Sturgeon

Television

• Syzygy is the name of a 1996 episode of the mystery TV show The X-Files. The alignment of Mercury, Mars and Uranus happens at the same time several murder cases occur in a small town. FBI agents Scully and Mulder investigate in a climate of fear and mob mentality.

Poetry

• The combination of two metrical feet into a single unit, similar to elision.
• Consonantal or phonetic syzygy is also similar to the effect of alliteration, where one consonant is used repeated throughout a passage, but not necessarily at the beginning of each word.

Zoology

• The association of two protozoa end-to-end or laterally for the purpose of asexual exchange of genetic material.
• The pairing of chromosomes in meiosis.

Ultimate

• Syzygy is Carleton College's Womens' Ultimate team.

• Disambiguation pages