point source

noun

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of point source

1 : a source of radiation (such as light) that is concentrated at a point and considered as having no spatial extension

2 : an identifiable confined source (such as a smokestack or wastewater treatment plant) from which a pollutant is discharged or emitted

Recent Examples of point source from the Web

The point sources proved to be 10 globular clusters—compact and spherical groupings of stars orbiting the galaxy’s core.

— rebecca boyle, Scientific American, "Astronomers Boggle at a Distant Galaxy Devoid of Dark Matter," 28 Mar. 2018
Krueger of the River Alliance said that his group will be watching to see how much of the reduction will come from non-point sources like farms.

— lee bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Plan seeks to drown out sea of green on popular Wisconsin River reservoirs by cutting algae-causing pollutants," 22 Feb. 2018
And a check of X-rays using the XMM-Newton satellite shows that there's a point source in the region that also appears to be emitting about 1/500 of the radiation coming out of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "Our galaxy’s second biggest black hole may be “lurking” in a gas cloud," 6 Sep. 2017

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