radial velocity
"Radial velocity" measures how fast an object is moving towards or away from an observer along a straight line.
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Definition
B2General
(technical)The rate at which the distance between an object and an observer changes along the line connecting them.
Example
- The radial velocity of the car was measured using a radar gun.
C1Astronomy
(technical, academic)The speed at which a celestial body moves towards or away from the Earth, often determined by the Doppler effect.
Example
- Astronomers use radial velocity to detect exoplanets by observing the wobble of stars.
C1Meteorology
(technical, academic)The component of wind or precipitation velocity parallel to the direction of a radar beam, used in Doppler radar measurements.
Example
- Doppler radar provides radial velocity data to track storm movement.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "radial velocity":
second cosmic velocityfirst cosmic velocitythird cosmic velocityradius vector