heliostat
noun
he·lio·stat
ˈhē-lē-ə-ˌstat 
: an instrument consisting of a mirror mounted on an axis moved by clockwork by which a sunbeam is steadily reflected in one direction
Examples of heliostat in a Sentence
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Known as the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, the facility consists of three different towers surrounded by heliostat arrays and has a capacity of 392 megawatts.
—
Michael Franco, New Atlas, 17 July 2024
Known as solar thermal or concentrated solar power (CSP), these systems rely on mirrors known as heliostats to bounce sunlight to a central gathering point.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 17 July 2024
During the event, two heliostats with moveable mirrors were used to direct images of the eclipsed Sun into a pair of horizontal telescopes.
—Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
On the roof of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, this heliostat array focuses sunlight on a reactor that can turn carbon dioxide from the air into fuel.
—Frank Swain, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2020
The furnace’s heliostat, a 40-foot-wide panel of 36 mirrors (not visible here), tracks the sun across the sky, reflecting light into the attenuator (1), a grate that can be opened or closed like a window blind.
—Danielle Egan, Discover Magazine, 16 Dec. 2010
Placing three heliostats, spaced every 120 degrees along a crater rim would ensure steady illumination to the mine, and two more would beam light at the vapor capture tent and fuel processing plant, according to Sowers.
—Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 27 Apr. 2020
But those peak around 1,000 degrees, because each heliostat has to be individually calibrated and can fall out of alignment over time.
—Laura Mallonee, Wired, 21 Jan. 2020
The researchers found that for a solar plant with a central tower, the efficiency of the heliostats closest to the tower was higher.
—Shweta Narayan, Smithsonian, 31 Aug. 2019
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Michael Franco, New Atlas, 17 July 2024
Known as solar thermal or concentrated solar power (CSP), these systems rely on mirrors known as heliostats to bounce sunlight to a central gathering point.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 17 July 2024
During the event, two heliostats with moveable mirrors were used to direct images of the eclipsed Sun into a pair of horizontal telescopes.
—Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
On the roof of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, this heliostat array focuses sunlight on a reactor that can turn carbon dioxide from the air into fuel.
—Frank Swain, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2020
The furnace’s heliostat, a 40-foot-wide panel of 36 mirrors (not visible here), tracks the sun across the sky, reflecting light into the attenuator (1), a grate that can be opened or closed like a window blind.
—Danielle Egan, Discover Magazine, 16 Dec. 2010
Placing three heliostats, spaced every 120 degrees along a crater rim would ensure steady illumination to the mine, and two more would beam light at the vapor capture tent and fuel processing plant, according to Sowers.
—Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 27 Apr. 2020
But those peak around 1,000 degrees, because each heliostat has to be individually calibrated and can fall out of alignment over time.
—Laura Mallonee, Wired, 21 Jan. 2020
The researchers found that for a solar plant with a central tower, the efficiency of the heliostats closest to the tower was higher.
—Shweta Narayan, Smithsonian, 31 Aug. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Heliostat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heliostat. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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