astronomical clock

American  

noun

1. a clock indicating or representing the movements of the sun or planets, the phases of the moon, or the sky visible at a given time, used as a means of establishing time or for additional information, as locating celestial bodies or timing their movement.

2. a clock used for observing the apparent time of the meridian passages of heavenly bodies.

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astronomical clock British  

noun

1. a complex clock showing astronomical phenomena, such as the phases of the moon

2. any clock showing sidereal time used in observatories

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Etymology

Origin of astronomical clock

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Inside, the astronomical clock gets all the visitor love, but what stole my attention was the tapestry exhibition.

From Washington Post

Celia stops walking as she reaches the open square, halting next to the towering astronomical clock where carved apostles are making their scheduled hourly appearance despite the weather.

From Literature

A civic group called “Million Moments for Democracy” sprayed 25,000 white crosses overnight on Monday on the cobble-stoned square, surrounded by gothic and baroque churches and Prague’s famed Astronomical Clock, to commemorate victims of the pandemic in the past year -- and blame the government for missteps.

From Reuters

John was devoted to astronomy, and by following his own mental odyssey we learn in this book how to tell the time of year from the stars, what mechanism lay at the heart of the great astronomical clock at the monastery of St. Albans, how to operate an astrolabe and why the earliest sunset of the year comes several days before the winter solstice.

From New York Times

On the front there is the first astronomical clock in the town hall of Padua, Italy, in 1364.

From BBC