siderostat

siderostat [sid-er-uh-stat] ExamplesWord Origin 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 First recorded in 1875–80; sidero-2 + -stat Related formssid·er·o·stat·ic, adjective Examples from the Web for siderostat Historical Examples of siderostat

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 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 timeSee also heliostat Compare coelostat

Derived Formssiderostatic, adjectiveWord Origin for siderostat C19: from sidero-, from Latin sidus a star + -stat, on the model of heliostat