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
Recent Examples on the Web
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 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
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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 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
Cite this Entry
“Heliostat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heliostat. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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