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AsteriaStar
Astrometric effect

Light-Time Correction

The correction that accounts for the time light takes to travel from a moving Solar-System body to the observer: what is seen is where the body was when the light left it, not where it is now. Together with stellar aberration it makes up what is called planetary aberration, and it is essential for computing accurate apparent positions of planets, moons, and spacecraft.

Highlights

  • ›Seeing a planet where it was when its light departed

Related systems & concepts

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • IAUInternational Astronomical Union

    Official naming, definitions, constellation boundaries, and astronomical nomenclature.