You searched for: “sidereal day
sidereal time, sidereal day
1. Time that is measured by the stars rather than by the sun.
2. A unit of time used in astronomy, equal to the period of time in which the earth makes one rotation relative to the stars.
3. The time taken between successive meridian passages of the same star (23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.091 seconds).

The sidereal day is about four minutes shorter than the twenty-four hours of the solar day.

This entry is located in the following unit: Astronomy and related astronomical terms (page 23)