siderostat

[ sid-er-uh-stat ]

noun

1. a telescopic device for reflecting the light of a star in a constant direction, the chief component of which is a plane mirror turned by a clock mechanism to correct for the rotation of the earth.

siderostat

/ ˈsaɪdərəʊˌstæt /

noun

1. an astronomical instrument consisting essentially of a plane mirror driven about two axes so that light from a celestial body, esp the sun, is reflected along a constant direction for a long period of time See also heliostat Compare coelostat

Derived Forms

• ˌsideroˈstatic, adjective

Other Words From

• sider·o·static adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of siderostat¹

First recorded in 1875–80; sidero- ² + -stat

Word History and Origins

Origin of siderostat¹

C19: from sidero- , from Latin sidus a star + -stat , on the model of heliostat

Example Sentences

Siderostat, sid′e-rō-stat, n. a heliostat adapted to sidereal time.—adj.

From Project Gutenberg

Such, for instance, are the "Siderostat," and another form of it called the "Cœlostat," in which a plane mirror is made to revolve in a certain manner, so as to reflect those portions of the sky which are to be observed, into the tube of a telescope kept fixed.

From Project Gutenberg

Palais de l'Optique, Paris 49·2 197 Gautier, 1900 Mounted as a siderostat in connection with a plane mirror 79 inches across.

From Project Gutenberg

Sir Howard Grubb, moreover, set up, in 1882, a kind of siderostat at the Crawford Observatory, Cork.

From Project Gutenberg

The largest siderostat in the world is the Paris 50-inch refractor, which formed the chief attraction of the Palais d'Optique at the Exhibition of 1900.

From Project Gutenberg