heliometer

2 definitions found

heliometer - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Heliometer \He`li*om"e*ter\, n. [Helio- + -meter: cf. F.
     h['e]liom[`e]tre.] (Astron.)
     An instrument devised originally for measuring the diameter
     of the sun; now employed for delicate measurements of the
     distance and relative direction of two stars too far apart to
     be easily measured in the field of view of an ordinary
     telescope. Heliometric

heliometer - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  heliometer
      n 1: an instrument used to measure the angular separation of two
           stars that are too far apart to be included in the field of
           view of an ordinary telescope