astrodome

1 9.5

A transparent dome on top of an aircraft that lets a navigator look at the stars

noun
/ˈæstroʊˌdoʊm/

Archaic

: cúpula de observación

Examples

A 5-meter diameter Astrodome sits ready for a telescope.

Academic text (2000)
A 5-meter diameter Astrodome sits high atop one of the ridges, returned to the observatory after 25 years as a child's playhouse nearby.

Academic text (2000)
The pilot used the astrodome to observe the stars while flying at night.
To navigate accurately, the aircraft was equipped with a transparent astrodome on top.
The astrodome allows navigators to make precise celestial observations during flights.

Synonyms

observation dome

vsastrodome

Jargon

1 6.4

A round roof on top of a building that holds a telescope for looking at the sky or surrounding area

is mounted on aircraft and is transparent for celestial sighting by navigators

cupola

vsastrodome

Specialized

1 8.6

A small dome with windows on a space station for looking outside

is on an aircraft and lets navigators observe stars for navigation

Surface Forms

astrodome singular

astrodomes plural

Morphology

astrodome = dome (transparent) = astro + dome

The meaning is directly compositional: an astro-dome is a dome used for celestial observation.

Etymology

The word astrodome combines astro- meaning 'star', as in astronomy and astronaut, and dome meaning 'round roof'. So an astrodome is a round roof on a plane that lets navigators look at the stars to find their way.