What is the term for the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from different angles?

The term for the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from different angles is parallax. This phenomenon occurs due to the change in viewpoint of the observer, causing nearby objects to appear to shift against a more distant background. Parallax is often used in astronomy to measure distances to nearby stars; as the Earth orbits the Sun, the position of a star appears to change relative to more distant stars, allowing astronomers to calculate its distance from Earth based on the angle of this shift.

In contrast, refraction refers to the bending of light as it passes through different mediums; diffraction involves the spreading of waves when they encounter obstacles or openings, and aberration is a distortion of image quality due to the optics in a telescope or lens. Each of these terms describes different phenomena and does not relate to the apparent shift in position that is characteristic of parallax.