Centroid Shift is defined as changes in the apparent center of the target echo due to what?

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Centroid shift comes from how a radar returns energy from a target are distributed across the target image. A ship isn’t a point; different parts of the hull and superstructure reflect radar waves differently depending on the angle you view them from. If the vessel’s aspect changes rapidly—say its course or heading changes quickly—the parts that reflect most strongly shift position relative to the radar. That reweighting of the reflected energy moves the brightness-weighted center of the echo, so the apparent center on the screen shifts. This effect is about aspect change, not about frequency drift, system temperature, or sea state alone, which don’t determine where the echo’s center ends up.