Christmas tree effect

noun

The phenomenon where an aircraft's radar with limited directional capabilities receives strong echoes from the ground, swamping target signals and generating a triangular radar trace.

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Meanings

nounChristmas tree effect (plural Christmas tree effects)

plural Christmas tree effects

  1. aeronauticsThe phenomenon where an aircraft's radar with limited directional capabilities receives strong echoes from the ground, swamping target signals and generating a triangular radar trace.
Cite this entry
APA

Christmas tree effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christmas%20tree%20effect

MLA

“Christmas tree effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christmas%20tree%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Christmas tree effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christmas%20tree%20effect.

Source: Christmas tree effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.