armillary sphere

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. an ancient instrument consisting of an arrangement of rings, all of which are circles of the same sphere, used to show the relative positions of the celestial equator, ecliptic, and other circles on the celestial sphere.

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armillary sphere British  

noun

1. a model of the celestial sphere consisting of rings representing the relative positions of the celestial equator, ecliptic, etc, used by early astronomers for determining the positions of stars

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armillary sphere Scientific  

/ är′mə-lĕr′ē,är-mĭl′ə-rē /

1. An early astronomical device made of fixed and movable rings representing circles of the celestial sphere, such as the ecliptic and the celestial equator. It was used as early as the third century bce as both a teaching instrument and an observational tool.

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Etymology

Origin of armillary sphere

First recorded in 1550–60

Example Sentences

Without a telescope, says Gysembergh, he must have used a sighting tube, known as a dioptra, or a mechanism called an armillary sphere.

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2022

A crowded rink is a sweaty, wheeled armillary sphere.

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2022

Static sculptures of Brahe’s so-called armillary sphere proliferate in public parks, but few if any allow for detailed measurements like the one in Santa Fe.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 31, 2019

A Portuguese royal coat of arms was visible on the disk's top half, and on the bottom was an etching of an armillary sphere, which Mearns claimed belonged to Portuguese King Dom Miguel.

From National Geographic • Oct. 24, 2017

Above the horizontal cornice is a most elaborate cresting of interlacing trefoils and leaves having in the middle the royal arms with on each side an armillary sphere.

From Portuguese Architecture by Watson, Walter Crum