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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The incredible solar-thermal power station reportedly features two 656-feet-high (200 meters) towers, each surrounded by a vast field of 27,000 mirrors known as heliostats.
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Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Instead of creating a picture by mapping where light lands on each sensor (or pixel), the heliostat method skips imaging entirely.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 5 Aug. 2025
However, those heliostats can do more than track the sun.
—David Szondy
august 03, New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2025
During normal operation, says Turchi, the heliostats' beams converge on the receiver at the top of the tower.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Nov. 2015
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Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Instead of creating a picture by mapping where light lands on each sensor (or pixel), the heliostat method skips imaging entirely.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 5 Aug. 2025
However, those heliostats can do more than track the sun.
—David Szondy
august 03, New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2025
During normal operation, says Turchi, the heliostats' beams converge on the receiver at the top of the tower.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Nov. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Heliostat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heliostat. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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