heliostat
an instrument consisting of a mirror moved by clockwork, for reflecting the sun's rays in a fixed direction.
Origin of heliostat
1Other words from heliostat
- he·li·o·stat·ic, adjective
Words Nearby heliostat
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use heliostat in a sentence
In a short time we might earnestly wish for a centrifugal apparatus or a heliostat.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II | Charles DarwinImages of the sun are thrown into the observatory by an ingenious instrument run by clockwork, and called a heliostat.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 288 | VariousIn the absence of a heliostat the latter was the more convenient.
It is a good object by which to adjust my hand heliostat, which I describe below.
The Art of Travel | Francis GaltonIn the absence of a heliostat it is more convenient to obtain a point of light with the aid of a lens of short focus.
British Dictionary definitions for heliostat
/ (ˈhiːlɪəʊˌstæt) /
an astronomical instrument used to reflect the light of the sun in a constant direction
Derived forms of heliostat
- heliostatic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse