heliostat

2 definitions found

heliostat - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Siderostat \Sid"er*o*stat\, n. [L. sidus, sideris, a star + Gr.
     ??? standing, fixed, fr. ???? to place.] (Astron.)
     An apparatus consisting essentially of a mirror moved by
     clockwork so as to throw the rays of the sun or a star in a
     fixed direction; -- a more general term for heliostat.
     [1913 Webster]

  Heliostat \He"li*o*stat\, n. [Helio- + Gr. ? placed, standing,
     fr. ? to place, stand: cf. F. h['e]liostate.]
     An instrument consisting of a mirror moved by clockwork, by
     which a sunbeam is made apparently stationary, by being
     steadily directed to one spot during the whole of its diurnal
     period; also, a geodetic heliotrope.
     [1913 Webster]