sidereal year
- noun
- /saɪˈdɪəriəl jɪr/
- Specialized
:
año sidéreo
- The sidereal year is approximately 365.256 days, which reflects the Earth's complete orbit around the Sun relative to the fixed stars.
Examples
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This time is 3 minutes, 56 seconds; the accumulation of this discrepancy causes the solar year to be almost 1/4 day longer than the sidereal year, resulting in the need for periodic correction in the form of leap years.
Blog text (11) -
Astronomers use the sidereal year, which is about 365.256 days long, to measure the time it takes for Earth to orbit the Sun.
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The seasonal or tropical year is actually a hair less time than one full orbit (sidereal year).
Blog text (13) -
Understanding the concept of a sidereal year is essential for accurate astronomical calculations, as it differs slightly from the tropical year.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'sidereal' (concerning the stars) modifies 'year' (an orbital period), so the phrase denotes a year measured relative to the fixed stars rather than the Sun. Although the term is technical, the semantic relation is predictable and mirrored in other languages (e.g., Spanish 'año sidéreo'), so a learner who knows both constituents could infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Sidereal year: The term sidereal comes from a word meaning 'stars' and the word year names the time span. Think of Earth going once around the Sun until it sees the same star in the same place; that is the time a sidereal year measures, so it means a 'year' counted by the stars rather than by the seasons.
