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hour circle
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noun Astronomy.
a great circle on the celestial sphere passing through the celestial poles and containing a point on the celestial sphere, as a star or the vernal equinox.
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QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
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âWasâ is used for the indicative past tense of âto be,â and âwereâ is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Also called circle of declination.
Origin of hour circle
First recorded in 1665â75
Words nearby hour circle
Hounslow, Houphouet-Boigny, houppelande, hour, hour angle, hour circle, hourglass, hourglass contraction, hourglass murmur, hourglass stomach, hour hand
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use hour circle in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for hour circle
hour circle
noun
a great circle on the celestial sphere passing through the celestial poles and a specified point, such as a star
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
Scientific definitions for hour circle
hour circle
A great circle passing through the poles of the celestial sphere and intersecting the celestial equator at right angles. An hour circle is equivalent to a meridian on Earth and is used in describing the position of a celestial body with respect to an observer's celestial meridian. See more at hour angle.
The American HeritageÂź Science Dictionary
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