armillary sphere
noun
ar·mil·la·ry sphere
ˈär-mə-ˌler-ē- 
är-ˈmi-lə-rē-
är-ˈmi-lə-rē-
: an old astronomical instrument composed of rings showing the positions of important circles of the celestial sphere
Examples of armillary sphere in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One method of cosmic display at this time was the armillary sphere, a globe-like model with several rings to illustrate the motion of the Sun, moon and stars.
—
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2023
Two features of the Portuguese flag — the coat of arms and an armillary sphere, a pattern of rings meant to represent the heavens — affirmed its provenance.
—Ernie Mastroianni, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2019
In its center is a golden sculpture of an armillary sphere, once used by astronomers in Renaissance Venice to study the celestial system.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2021
Ng is a Chinese artifact aficionado, with pieces in the basement of an annex building that include an armillary sphere from the Ming Dynasty and two rare bone sculptures of which there are just four in the world.
—Faris Mokhtar, Bloomberg.com, 23 June 2020
There are also lots of smaller instruments—thermometers, sextants, astrolabes—and plenty of globes, as well as an enormous armillary sphere, designed and built by the Italian astronomer Antonio Santucci.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 17 May 2020
One of America's oldest colleges has unveiled a replica of the even older Tycho Brahe armillary sphere.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 2 Jan. 2020
This new armillary sphere is thought to be the only working one on Earth today.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 2 Jan. 2020
Think of an armillary sphere like a circular slide rule with four separate axes.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 2 Jan. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2023
Two features of the Portuguese flag — the coat of arms and an armillary sphere, a pattern of rings meant to represent the heavens — affirmed its provenance.
—Ernie Mastroianni, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2019
In its center is a golden sculpture of an armillary sphere, once used by astronomers in Renaissance Venice to study the celestial system.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2021
Ng is a Chinese artifact aficionado, with pieces in the basement of an annex building that include an armillary sphere from the Ming Dynasty and two rare bone sculptures of which there are just four in the world.
—Faris Mokhtar, Bloomberg.com, 23 June 2020
There are also lots of smaller instruments—thermometers, sextants, astrolabes—and plenty of globes, as well as an enormous armillary sphere, designed and built by the Italian astronomer Antonio Santucci.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 17 May 2020
One of America's oldest colleges has unveiled a replica of the even older Tycho Brahe armillary sphere.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 2 Jan. 2020
This new armillary sphere is thought to be the only working one on Earth today.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 2 Jan. 2020
Think of an armillary sphere like a circular slide rule with four separate axes.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 2 Jan. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Armillary sphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/armillary%20sphere. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share