artificial horizon

[ ahr-tuh-fish-uhl huh-rahy-zuhn ]
See synonyms for artificial horizon on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a level, as a surface of mercury, used in determining the altitudes of stars.

  2. the bubble in a sextant or octant for aerial use.

  1. Also called flight in·di·ca·tor [flahyt-in-di-key-ter], /ˈflaɪt ˌɪn dɪ keɪ tər/, gyro horizon .Aeronautics an instrument that indicates the banking and pitch of an aircraft with respect to the horizon.

Origin of artificial horizon

1
First recorded in 1795–1805

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for artificial horizon

artificial horizon

noun
  1. Also called: gyro horizon an aircraft instrument, using a gyroscope, that indicates the aircraft's attitude in relation to the horizontal

  2. astronomy a level reflecting surface, such as one of mercury, that measures the altitude of a celestial body as half the angle between the body and its reflection

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