parallax

noun, verb — 4 senses

parallax

noun

UK /ˈpaɹəˌlaks/ · /ˈpæɹ.əˌlæks/

Etymology From Middle French parallaxe, from Ancient Greek παράλλαξις (parállaxis, “alteration”) from παραλλάσσω (parallássō, “to cause to alternate”) from ἀλλάσσω (allássō, “to alter”) from ἄλλος (állos, “other”). See also para- and allo-.

1

An apparent shift in the position of two stationary objects relative to each other as viewed by an observer, due to a change in observer position.

  • […] Heliocentrick places, to which the Parallaxes being applied, give the Geocentrick.1685, J. Flamsteed, Philosophical Transactions, XV, p. 1217:
  • Planes farther back on the z-axis scroll more slowly than those in front of them, producing a parallax effect. Early games with parallax scrolling tended to have their action taking place all in the forefront plane […]2008, Bernard Perron, Mark J. P. Wolf, The Video Game Theory Reader 2, page 157:
1 more example
  • The stars appeared to be in different locations through the parallax effect, meaning that the stars seemed to shift against the background since New Horizons was viewing it from a different view point. Scientists use the parallax effect to measure the distances to stars. […] “The New Horizons spacecraft is truly a mission of firsts, and this demonstration of stellar parallax is no different,” said Kenneth Hansen, New Horizons program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, in a statement.2020 June 14, Ashley Strickland, “NASA spacecraft sends back images of stars from 4.3 billion miles away”, in CNN, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2020:
2

Astronomy, Natural sciences The angle of seeing of the astronomical unit.

Derived terms
celebration parallax, cognitive parallax, motion parallax, parallactic, parallax motion, parallax second, parsec
Related terms
parallel

parallax

verb

Etymology From Middle French parallaxe, from Ancient Greek παράλλαξις (parállaxis, “alteration”) from παραλλάσσω (parallássō, “to cause to alternate”) from ἀλλάσσω (allássō, “to alter”) from ἄλλος (állos, “other”). See also para- and allo-.

1

To measure (a distance) based on parallax observations.

2

To produce an illusion of levels of distance by shifting layers at different rates.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.