heliometer

American  

[hee-lee-om-i-ter] / ˌhi liˈɒm ɪ tər /

noun

1. a telescope with a divided, adjustable objective, formerly used to measure small angular distances, as those between celestial bodies.

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heliometer British  

/ ˌhiːlɪˈɒmɪtə /

noun

1. a refracting telescope having a split objective lens that is used to determine very small angular distances between celestial bodies

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Other Word Forms

• heliometry
  noun
• heliometric
  adjective
• heliometrical
  adjective
• heliometrically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of heliometer

First recorded in 1745–55; helio- + -meter

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heliometer

The center of this hall is occupied by a massive pier of stone, 10 feet square, passing from the basement into the dome above, and intended for the support of the great heliometer.

From The Uses of Astronomy An Oration Delivered at Albany on the 28th of July, 1856 by Edward Everett

Among these are an anemometer slowly revolving in the light air, maximum and minimum bulbs in the shade, on the ground and beneath it, a most ingenious sun dial, and a heliometer.

From A Journal of a Tour in the Congo Free State by Marcus Roberts Phipps Dorman

When the heliometer-part of Lord Lindsay’s heliometer was acquired by Gill in 1879, he changed the manner of imparting the motion in question.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various

Thus, for refined purposes, it cannot be assumed with any certainty that the instantaneous scale-value of the heliometer is known, or that it is a function of the temperature.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various

A heliometer is the most accurate astronomical instrument for relative measurements of position, as a transit circle is the most accurate for absolute determinations.

From Pioneers of Science by Sir Oliver Lodge

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