Meanings
- singularsingular onlyastronomyAn idealised conception of the celestial sphere in which the celestial equator is perpendicular to the local horizon and the Sun reaches the zenith at its highest point.
There is a certain region lying to the south of us which is said to be under the equator, where the poles fall on the horizon, and the sphere of the universe stands straight up, as it were (sphaera recta).
1932, Sir Thomas Little Heath, Greek Astronomy, page 135
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
First attested in 1932; Latin: sphaera (“sphere”, “globe of the heavens”) + rēcta (feminine nominative singular of rēctus, “right”, “upright”) = “upright sphere”.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
sphaera recta. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sphaera%20recta
“sphaera recta.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sphaera%20recta. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sphaera recta,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sphaera%20recta.
Source: sphaera recta on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.