angular distance
- noun
- /ˈæŋɡjələr ˈdɪstəns/
- Specialized
:
distancia angular
- This may come as a surprise because the planet reached its greatest angular distance from the Sun in early November.
- angular distance from the Sun
- greatest angular distance
Examples
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By observing the night sky, you can measure the angular distance between celestial objects like the Moon and planets.
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Let's call that angular distance Theta.
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Even as the planet's angular distance from the Sun decreases in November, it appears farther above the horizon.
Academic text (2005) -
At the maximum angular distance of 5.15 degrees, the lunar brightness is less than ninety percent of that at "exact" full.
Academic text (2004) -
The astronomer calculated the angular distance between Venus and Jupiter using precise measurements.
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To determine the angular distance between two stars, astronomers often use a specialized software tool.
Synonyms
401
2.5
The space between two lines or surfaces that meet at a point
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines 'angular' (relating to angles) and 'distance' (a measure of separation), so its basic meaning — a distance measured in terms of an angle or angular difference — is directly derivable from the constituents. Although the term is used in technical domains (math/data science) with specific formulas, the compositional logic is regular and cross-linguistically recognizable, so a B1 learner who knows both words would grasp the general idea.
Etymology
Angular distance comes from the simple picture of two lines from your eye to two objects: the space between the lines makes an angle, and that space is the distance you can measure. So angular distance means the measured angle between objects as you see them.