heliometer

[hee-lee-om-i-ter]

noun

1. a telescope with a divided, adjustable objective, formerly used to measure small angular distances, as those between celestial bodies.

heliometer

/ ˌhiːlɪəʊˈmɛtrɪk, ˌhiːlɪˈɒmɪtə /

noun

1. a refracting telescope having a split objective lens that is used to determine very small angular distances between celestial bodies

Other Word Forms

• heliometric adjective
• heliometrical adjective
• heliometrically adverb
• heliometry noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of heliometer¹

First recorded in 1745–55; helio- + -meter

Example Sentences

There are three methods in which this heliometer can be used.

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Physicists were sometimes jocularly greeted among astronomers as "ribbon men," and no one even dreamed that their researches were one day to advance to equal recognition with results derived from micrometer, meridian circle, and heliometer.

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They are obtained from late improved measures of the velocity of light, and from measures by the heliometer.

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A heliometer is the most accurate astronomical instrument for relative measurements of position, as a transit circle is the most accurate for absolute determinations.

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A detailed examination convinced the Astronomer-Royal of its superior accuracy to Bessel's result with the heliometer.

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