transit instrument

American  

noun

1. Astronomy. meridian circle.

2. Surveying. transit.

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transit instrument British  

noun

1. an astronomical instrument, mounted on an E-W axis, in which the reticle of a telescope is always in the plane of the meridian. It is used to time the transit of a star, etc, across the meridian

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Etymology

Origin of transit instrument

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transit instrument

The planetarium's dome will float over a reflecting pool, will house an "intermediate space transit instrument" which will project the heavens not only as they appear on earth but from the moon.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is the meridian that passes through the poles and the centre of the transit instrument of the Observatory of Greenwich.

From International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884. Protocols of the Proceedings by Various

When the telescope is mounted on two pillars instead of the face of a wall, it is called a transit instrument.

From Recreations in Astronomy With Directions for Practical Experiments and Telescopic Work by Warren, Henry White

The first plan is that of the "transit instrument," the second that of the "equatoreal."

From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Clerke, Agnes M. (Agnes Mary)

M. Leverrier showed me the transit instrument and the mural circle.

From Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters, and Journals by Mitchell, Maria