Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
983,008,104 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

sidereal time

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
sidereal time
n.
Time based on the rotation of the earth with reference to the background of stars.

sidereal time
Time based on the rotation of the Earth with respect to the background of fixed stars. Astronomers generally use sidereal time rather than solar time because it is better suited to observations beyond the solar system. A sidereal day is the time required for one complete rotation of the Earth on its axis with respect to a fixed star. It is an unvarying unit equal to 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.09 seconds of solar time. A sidereal month is the average period of revolution of the Moon around the Earth with respect to a fixed star, equal to 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes of solar time. A sidereal year is the time required for one complete revolution of the Earth around the Sun with respect to a fixed star, equal to 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, 9.54 seconds of solar time. Compare solar time.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.sidereal time - measured by the diurnal motion of stars
cosmic time - the time covered by the physical formation and development of the universe
sidereal day, day - the time for one complete rotation of the earth relative to a particular star, about 4 minutes shorter than a mean solar day
sidereal year - the time for the earth to make one complete revolution around the sun, relative to the fixed stars
sidereal hour - 1/24 of a sidereal day
sidereal month - period between successive conjunctions with a star, 27.322 days

?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.