siderostat

[ sid-er-uh-stat ]
/ ˈsɪd ər əˌstæt /

noun

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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM siderostat

sid·er·o·stat·ic, adjective

Words nearby siderostat

siderophilous, siderophore, sideroscope, siderosilicosis, siderosis, siderostat, siderotic, siderotic nodules, sidesaddle, sidesaddle flower, sideshow

Example sentences from the Web for siderostat

  • 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

  • The siderostat, twenty-seven feet high, and as many in length, weighed forty-five tons.

    The Romance of Modern Invention |Archibald Williams

  • 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

British Dictionary definitions for siderostat

siderostat
/ (ˈsaɪdərəʊˌstæt) /

noun

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 of siderostat

siderostatic, adjective

Word Origin for siderostat

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