Pioneer anomaly

noun

The observed deviation from predicted accelerations of the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft after they passed about 20 astronomical units on their trajectories out of the Solar System.

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Meanings

nounPioneer anomaly (countable and uncountable, plural Pioneer anomalies)

plural Pioneer anomalies

  1. countableuncountableUS space program; space flight; US space program; space flightThe observed deviation from predicted accelerations of the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft after they passed about 20 astronomical units on their trajectories out of the Solar System.

Origin

Named after NASA space probes Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11.

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Cite this entry
APA

Pioneer anomaly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pioneer%20anomaly

MLA

“Pioneer anomaly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pioneer%20anomaly. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pioneer anomaly,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pioneer%20anomaly.

Source: Pioneer anomaly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.