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Showing results for sidereal day. Search instead for Sidereal+Zodiac.
Synonyms

sidereal day

American  

noun

Astronomy.
  1. the interval between two successive passages of the vernal equinox over the meridian, being about four minutes shorter than a mean solar day.


sidereal day British  

noun

  1. See day

"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

Etymology

Origin of sidereal day

First recorded in 1785–95

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Example Sentences

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However, astronomers also use a sidereal day, which is defined in terms of the rotation period of Earth with respect to the stars.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

In a part of Earth’s orbit where Earth is moving faster than usual around the Sun, would the length of the sidereal day change?

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

So the solar day is about 4 minutes longer than the sidereal day.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Up to the mid-20th century, the sidereal day, the period of the earth’s rotation on its axis in relation to the stars, was used to determine standard time.

From Scientific American • Dec. 31, 2011

The length of the sidereal day is to the mean solar day as .99727 to 1, and various attempts have been made by trains of wheels to obtain this relation—but all are somewhat complicated.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 "Clervaux" to "Cockade" by Various

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