diurnal motion

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. the apparent daily motion, caused by the earth's rotation, of celestial bodies across the sky.

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diurnal motion British  

noun

1. motion that occurs during the day or daily, such as the diurnal rotation of the celestial sphere

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diurnal motion

When you speak of the sun's motion, you mean, I suppose, his apparent motion, produced by the diurnal motion of the earth?

From Conversations on Natural Philosophy, in which the Elements of that Science are Familiarly Explained by Thomas P. Jones

In fact, he speaks of the diurnal motion of the earth as 'an opinion which we can demonstrate to be most false;' doubtless having in his thoughts some such arguments as misled Tycho Brahe.

From Myths and Marvels of Astronomy by Richard A. (Richard Anthony) Proctor

The stile is made parallel with the earth's axis, and may be considered as coinciding with the axis of the sun's apparent diurnal motion.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 1: Deposition to Eberswalde by Various

The lunar tide is a perturbation in the diurnal motion of the sea, and its amount is therefore a legitimate mode of calculating the moon's mass.

From Pioneers of Science by Sir Oliver Lodge

Cassini, moreover, set up an altazimuth in 1678, and employed from about 1682 a “parallactic machine,” provided with clockwork to enable it to follow the diurnal motion.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various