flyby
noun/ˈflaɪˌbaɪ/
Etymology Deverbal from fly by.
1
A flight past a celestial object in order to make observations.
- The upcoming flyby of Halley's comet is expected to provide new information on the nature of the comet.
- Farthest from the dim red dwarf Ondeste, the ice dwarf Maisuth has attracted no interest beyond a cursory flyby by automated probe in 1874. No significant resources were noted.2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Maisuth, Ondeste System:
2
US A low-level ceremonial flight, typically in connection with an airshow or a military parade.
- Two of your snot-nose jockeys did a fly-by on my tower at over 400 knots!1986, Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr., Top Gun (motion picture), spoken by Air Boss Johnson:
3
Figuratively A brief visit.
5
Computer graphics, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A three-dimensional animated sequence in which the camera moves past an object or scenery.
- Derived terms
- flyby anomaly, post-flyby