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They use trigonometry to determine the distance to nearby stars. They measure the star's positions at one point in time, and again six months later, calibrating against the backdrop of the far distant stars. The nearby stars will show a parallax shift in position, so they calculate a triangle, with the Earth at two points, and the base 186 million miles long. The star is the third point on the triangle, and it is simple trigonometry from there to figure out the distance.

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Q: What is used to determine the distance to nearby stars?
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What is Often used to determine the distance to nearby stars?

parallax


What method do astronomers use to determine the distance to a relatively close star like Sirius?

For nearby stars, the parallax method is used.


Could parallax be used to determine the distance of all stars?

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How can varble stars be used to determine the distance to globular clusters?

The idea is that CERTAIN TYPES of stars, including certain variable stars (such as Cepheids) have a known brightness; so if you observe their apparent brightness, you can calculate their distance.


What is often used to determine the distance to nearby star?

For closer stars (less than 409 light years away) a system of parallax is used which is similar to optical range finders. However at greater distances the shift in apparent position is not great enough to measure with the extremes of the Earth's orbit (about 200 million miles to act as an base of observation.As a consequence astronomers have had to be more inventive. They have noted that stars of similar light spectra are of similar brightness. They can then determine how bright the star seems to be and how much it should be emitting. This can be used to calculate the distance.


Why do we measure the movement of stars?

Parallax is the apparent change in position of an object when you look at it from different angles. Astronomers often us parallax to measure distances to nearby stars. This method can be used to determine stars' distances up to 400 light-years from Earth.


What are Binary stars used to determine?

The masses of the two stars.


Is Triangulation primarily used to measure the distance of close stars?

Answer #1:no=================Answer #2:Yes.Another answer: The primary use of triangulation may not be to measure the distance of stars, but the method which is used to measure the distance of close stars is primarily triangulation.


Is parallax a star?

The parallax refers to the apparent change in the star's position, due to Earth's movement around the Sun. This parallax can be used to measure the distance to nearby stars (the closer the star, the larger will its parallax be).


What is used to measure distance to stars?

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When is parallax used for?

A parallax is a change in apparent position, when YOU move. In astronomy, it usually refers to the change in the apparent position of a star, due to Earth's orbit around the Sun. It's there, whether you "use" it or not, but it is quite useful to determine distances of stars that are relatively close to us - since the farther a star is, the smaller will the parallax be. Even for the nearest star after the Sun, the parallax is smaller than one second (1/3600 of a degree).


What are the major methods used to determine distance and data recording in land survey?

major methods used to determine distance and data recording in land survey?