analemma

noun

an·a·lem·ma | \ ˌa-nə-ˈle-mə

plural analemmas

Definition of analemma

: a plot or graph in the shape of a figure eight that shows the position of the sun in the sky at a given time of day (such as noon) at one specific locale measured throughout the year Affix a camera to a sturdy mount … and take a photo of the Sun at a particular time of day. Sounds simple enough. Do this regularly throughout a calendar year and you'll end up with a picture of the analemma, the Sun's apparent path in our sky throughout the year. — Astronomy also : a scale (as on a globe or sundial) based on such a plot that shows the sun's position for each day of the year or that allows local mean time to be determined

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Other Words from analemma

analemmatic \ ˌa-nə-le-ˈma-tik

, -lə- \ adjective

Her preliminary designs include such things as a kind of interactive sundial, known as an analemmatic sundial, in which a participating child will be able to stand in a certain spot and have his shadow mark the hour of the day. — The Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican

Examples of analemma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The analemma plays into the sunrise and sunset times. — Katie Peek, Popular Science, "What is a solstice? And other questions about the shortest day of the year, answered," 21 Dec. 2020 Skylights filter natural light while tracking the days on an analemma — a sun calendar embedded in the quartzite-stone floor in the living room. — Los Angeles Times, "Pyramid house in Malibu sells to former Warner Bros. executive," 3 Apr. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'analemma.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.