Definition of coelostat in English:
coelostat
nounˈsiːlə(ʊ)statˈsiləˌstæt
Astronomy An instrument with a rotating mirror that continuously reflects the light from the same area of sky, used for monitoring the path of a celestial object.
Example sentencesExamples
- The silvered mirrors of the coelostat were pointed to some of the brighter stars beginning in 1905, and the first large-scale spectra of other stars were obtained.
- Back in Ottawa, a specially designed shed with a roll off section housed the coelostat for almost 70 years.
- To create rotating images in the full 360-degree range, two sets of coelostats can be combined, each compensating for the dead zone of the other.
- This error can be reduced substantially by choosing the coelostat position and time interval.
- Moreover, the light reflected by the coelostat is partially polarized, and the amount and character of polarization depends on the incidence angle.
Origin
Late 19th century: formed irregularly from Latin caelum 'sky' + -stat.