armillary sphere

ar·mil·lar·y sphere

A0428500 (är′mə-lĕr′ē, är-mĭl′ə-rē)n. An old astronomical model with solid, usually metal rings, all great circles of a single sphere, used to display relationships among the principal celestial circles.

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[Translation of French sphère armillaire, from Latin armilla, bracelet, from armus, shoulder; see ar- in Indo-European roots.]

armillary sphere

n (Astronomy) a model of the celestial sphere consisting of rings representing the relative positions of the celestial equator, ecliptic, etc, used by early astronomers for determining the positions of stars

ar′millary sphere′

n. an ancient astronomical instrument consisting of an arrangement of metal rings used to show the relative positions of the celestial equator and other circles on the celestial sphere.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

armillary sphere - a celestial globe consisting of metal hoops; used by early astronomers to determine the positions of starsarmillacelestial globe - a globe that is a spherical model of the heavens

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