Caption: An animation showing changes in the relative angular positions of objects at different distances from an observer as the observer executes a side-to-side motion.

The change in relative angular position of an object as an observer moves on a baseline is the effect called parallax.

Parallax also means the change in relative angular position itself. One can also say for clarity, but somewhat redundantly, parallax shift or parallax angle for change in relative angular position.

The animation does NOT show this clearly, but the farther objects show less parallax than the nearer ones.

The most obvious point is that the farther objects get covered and uncovered by the nearer objects.

If the table extended far off, then sufficiently far-off objects would show NO observable parallax.

Credit/Permission: © User:Natejunk2004, 2008 / Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0.
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