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Angular Diameter


The angular diameter, also called angular size, of an object is the angle subtended by its opposite edges at an observer. For a transverse line segment of length D perpendicular to the line of sight and with midpoint at distance d from the observer,

 theta=2tan^(-1)(D/(2d)).

When D<<d, the small-angle formula gives

 theta approx D/d,

where theta is measured in radians.


See also

Angle, Diameter, Distance, Radian, Small-Angle Formula

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Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Angular Diameter." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/AngularDiameter.html

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