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.

Origin of siderostat

1
First recorded in 1875–80; sidero-2 + -stat

Other words from siderostat

  • sid·er·o·stat·ic, adjective

Words Nearby siderostat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use siderostat in a sentence

  • The telescope was housed at the Exhibition in a long gallery pointing due north and south, the siderostat at the north end.

    The Romance of Modern Invention | Archibald Williams
  • The siderostat, twenty-seven feet high, and as many in length, weighed forty-five tons.

    The Romance of Modern Invention | Archibald Williams
  • The movable portion of the roof of the building had been slid back, and the mirror of the siderostat stood bared to the sky.

    The Romance of Modern Invention | Archibald Williams

British Dictionary definitions for siderostat

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

Origin of siderostat

1
C19: from sidero-, from Latin sidus a star + -stat, on the model of heliostat

Derived forms of siderostat

  • siderostatic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012