radial motion
[ rey-dee-uhl moh-shuhn ]
nounAstronomy.
the component of the motion of a star away from or toward the earth along its line of sight, expressed in miles or kilometers per second and determined by the shift in the wavelength of light emitted by the star.
Origin of radial motion
1First recorded in 1880–85
- Also called ra·di·al ve·loc·i·ty [rey-dee-uhl vuh-los-i-tee] /ˈreɪ di əl vəˈlɒs ɪ ti/ .
- Compare redshift, tangential motion.
Words Nearby radial motion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use radial motion in a sentence
The orbit of this star has been exhaustively investigated by Wright from Campbells observations of the radial motion.
Keeler's were the first trustworthy determinations of radial motion obtained visually.
A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century | Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke
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