siderostat

[ sid-er-uh-stat ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a telescopic device for reflecting the light of a star in a constant direction, the chief component of which is a plane mirror turned by a clock mechanism to correct for the rotation of the earth.

siderostat

/ ˈsaɪdərəʊˌstæt /

an astronomical instrument consisting essentially of a plane mirror driven about two axes so that light from a celestial body, esp the sun, is reflected along a constant direction for a long period of time See also heliostat Compare coelostat

First recorded in 1875–80; sidero- ² + -stat

C19: from sidero- , from Latin sidus a star + -stat , on the model of heliostat

The telescope was housed at the Exhibition in a long gallery pointing due north and south, the siderostat at the north end.

The siderostat, twenty-seven feet high, and as many in length, weighed forty-five tons.

The movable portion of the roof of the building had been slid back, and the mirror of the siderostat stood bared to the sky.

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