Aspect (target)

Aspect is the relative bearing of your own ship measured from the target vessel’s heading, the angle at which you see the other ship, named red or green for which side she presents. It is not a celestial-navigation term: it belongs to radar plotting and collision avoidance, where aspect tells the watchkeeper whether a contact is end-on, crossing, or overtaking and supports the COLREGs Rule 7 assessment of risk of collision alongside CPA and TCPA. A small aspect means you see the target nearly bow-on; a large aspect means you see her side. This seed sits under celestial navigation in error.