Article
Article
- Astronomy & Space Science
- Astronomy - general
- Aberration (astronomy)
- Astronomy & Space Science
- Astrophysics
- Aberration (astronomy)
Aberration (astronomy)
Article By:
Pasachoff, Jay M. Hopkins Observatory, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Last reviewed:February 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.000700
Show previous versions
- Aberration of light, published January 2020:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
The apparent change in direction of a celestial source of light caused by an observer's component of motion perpendicular to the impinging rays. In astronomy, aberration manifests, for example, as a star appearing aberrantly from what its true position on the sky would be because of the motion of the Earth. The star in question appears to move in the same direction of motion as an observer on the Earth, an effect which would not occur if Earth were stationary with respect to the star. Because all astronomical bodies are in motion relative to one another, aberration is experienced universally, but is only subjectively relevant, based on the observer. For humankind as observers, aberration has played a historically significant role in astronomy and physics, specifically in the development of theories regarding light, electromagnetism, and relativity. See also: Astronomy; Astrophysics; Electromagnetism; Light; Motion; Physics; Star
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