synodic
or syn·od·i·cal
[si-nod-ik or si-nod-i-kuh l]
- Astronomy. pertaining to a conjunction, or to two successive conjunctions of the same bodies.
- of or relating to a synod; synodal.
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Origin of synodic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for synodic
Historical Examples of synodic
Why, because twenty-seven days is about the synodic period of solar rotation.
Disturbing SunRobert Shirley Richardson
The correlation with the synodic rotation of the Sun was practically perfect.
Disturbing SunRobert Shirley Richardson
They determined correctly within a small fraction the length of the synodic revolution of the moon.
Lunar Year, a period of 12 synodic lunar months, being about 354.5 days.
The Nuttall EncyclopaediaEdited by Rev. James Wood
synodic
- relating to or involving a conjunction or two successive conjunctions of the same star, planet, or satellitethe synodic month
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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
synodic
[sĭ-nŏd′ĭk]
- Relating to the conjunction of celestial bodies, especially to the interval between two successive conjunctions of a planet or the Moon with the Sun as viewed from Earth. For example, the new moon comes at the conjunction of the Moon with the Sun; the interval between successive new moons (the time it takes for the Moon to orbit the Earth and return to conjunction with the Sun) is the Moon's synodic period, also called a lunar month. Synodic time differs from sidereal time, which is measured in relation to the stars and is generally more appropriate to astronomical observation.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.