parallax

noun

par·al·lax | \ ˈper-ə-ˌlaks

, ˈpa-rə- \

Definition of parallax

: the apparent displacement or the difference in apparent direction of an object as seen from two different points not on a straight line with the object especially : the angular difference in direction of a celestial body as measured from two points on the earth's orbit

Examples of parallax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And yet, no matter how acute your vision was, nobody had ever observed a parallax for any of the stars in the sky. — Ethan Siegel, Forbes, "The Biggest Problem In Science Isn’t Groupthink," 10 Mar. 2021 Despite that prediction, no parallax was ever observed for more than 1000 years. — Ethan Siegel, Forbes, "The Biggest Problem In Science Isn’t Groupthink," 10 Mar. 2021 Using the parallax technique on this new data combined with the 2011 data, the scientists found the black hole may be farther away that previously thought, about 7,240 light-years from Earth. — Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, "Astronomers Just Upsized an Iconic Black Hole," 24 Feb. 2021 Yet Gaia’s earlier parallax measurements were a disappointment. — Quanta Magazine, "Astronomers Get Their Wish, and a Cosmic Crisis Gets Worse," 17 Dec. 2020 But even at the time, astronomers knew about parallax. — Quanta Magazine, "Astronomers Get Their Wish, and a Cosmic Crisis Gets Worse," 17 Dec. 2020 Next, place your off hand on top of the scope, with the fatty heel of the thumb on the top turret, or the side parallax-adjustment turret if the scope has one. — T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, "10 Modern Classic Hunting and Fishing Tips," 26 Nov. 2020 And every tester struggled to turn the extremely stiff parallax dial. — Andrew Mckean, Outdoor Life, "The 13 Best New Precision Riflescopes Put to the Test," 18 Aug. 2020 The 30mm version also has a very precise parallax focus knob. — Andrew Mckean, Outdoor Life, "The 17 Best New Versatile Riflescopes Put to the Test," 18 Aug. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'parallax.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near parallax

parallactic libration of the moon

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Last Updated

11 Apr 2021

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“Parallax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parallax. Accessed 15 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for parallax

parallax

noun

par·al·lax | \ ˈpar-ə-ˌlaks

Medical Definition of parallax

: the apparent displacement or the difference in apparent direction of an object as seen from two different points not on a straight line with the object motion parallax governs the way objects appear to move when the eyes or head are shifted— Edmund Andrews