equation of time

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. apparent time minus mean solar time, ranging from minus 14 minutes in February to over 16 minutes in November.

---

equation of time British  

noun

1. the difference between apparent solar time and mean solar time, being at a maximum in February (over 14 minutes) and November (over 16 minutes)

---

Etymology

Origin of equation of time

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equation of time

But the boring dystopia meme reminds us the end could arrive quietly but corrosively, with a total erosion of work-life balance, crowdfunding for necessary healthcare, infantilisation by technology and the equation of time with capital.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 6, 2018

This difference between GMT and solar time is called "the equation of time" by astronomers.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2014

When the time by the sun-dial is known, the equation of time will at once enable us to obtain the corresponding clock-time, or vice versa.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3 "Destructors" to "Diameter" by Various

The greatest error due to the neglect of the equation of time is less than 2 degrees.

From The Seven Follies of Science [2nd ed.] A popular account of the most famous scientific impossibilities and the attempts which have been made to solve them. by Phin, John

He appears to have been the first to understand the theory of the equation of time.

From Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Turpin, Edna Henry Lee