astronomical clock

noun

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.

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

Origin of astronomical clock

First recorded in 1855–60

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for astronomical clock

astronomical clock

noun

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

any clock showing sidereal time used in observatories

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