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What two things do astronomers compare to calculate the distance to a star?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
They use trigonometry to measure the parallax error in the nearby star's position based on a large triangle, the base of which is formed by two times the distance of the Earth to the Sun. Simply stated, they plot the star's position on one day, and again six months later, when the Earth is 186,000 miles away from its original position. They use the far distant stars as a calibration standard, and use the Pythagorean theorem to figure out the rest.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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What did Muslim astronomers think about the ptolemaic system of astronomy?
Stop asking the same things I need for my World Religions class :(
What two things must an astronomer find out in order to calculate a starts absolute brightness?
Three things, really. An astronomer needs to determine the apparent brightness of a star or other object, and needs to know its distance. He would also need to have an estimate about extinction - that is, how much of the light is absorbed on its way.
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So the earlier astronomers can locate things in the sky.. They used the constellations to help them point out certain things
Why is there a constellation?
So the earlier astronomers can locate things in the sky.. They used the constellations to help them point out certain things
What does the word contrast and compare mean?
compare means what two things have in common. contrast are the differences things have.
