ScienceAugust 2, 2026
boresight
BOR-site
Definition
The imaginary line passing through the centers of the front and rear sights of a weapon or optical instrument, used as a reference point for alignment.
Etymology
The word is a compound of 'bore'—referring to the hollow interior of a tube or barrel—and 'sight,' denoting the device used for aiming. It emerged in the context of ballistics to describe the axis running through a firearm barrel.
In the news
In the article, the term is used to describe the precise axis along which the camera was aimed to capture the image of Earth. Aligning this specific line of sight was crucial to ensuring the camera was pointed accurately.
Spacecraft bound for Mars takes stunning photo of Earth, moon using Arizona-made camera
Read the full article ↗AOL.com