coronagraph

noun

co·​ro·​na·​graph kə-ˈrō-nə-ˌgraf How to pronounce coronagraph (audio)
variants or less commonly coronograph
plural coronagraphs also coronographs
: a telescope for observation of a star's corona
The American spacecraft was to carry the solar coronagraph, the only instrument on the mission capable of imaging the sun's polar regions …M. Mitchell Waldrop
Using an instrument called a coronagraph, the astronomers can block a star's light, to catch the dim glow of dark matter that may surround it.Jonathan Weiner

Examples of coronagraph in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Several missions have studied the sun and created artificial eclipses, including the ESA and NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission that used a coronagraph to block the sun. Chandelis Duster, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024 That creates a lot of stray light, so the coronagraphs are enlarged to ensure bright sunlight cannot enter their telescopes. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024 Two satellites fly in formation to form an external coronagraph in space, with one satellite eclipsing the sun to allow the second to study the solar corona, the scorching and dynamic region of the sun's atmosphere that is typically obscured by the bright light of the sun's disk. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024 On 4 November, NASA plans to launch the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX), an instrument that will create eclipses on demand with a Sun-blocking device called a coronagraph. Byhannah Richter, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for coronagraph 

Word History

Etymology

corona + -graph

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coronagraph was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near coronagraph

Cite this Entry

“Coronagraph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coronagraph. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

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