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No. We can calculate the distance to an astronomical object that isn't too far away by measuring the parallax, or positional shift compared to the background stars, by observing the star from two opposite sides of the Earth's orbit. This gives us a baseline of about 186 million miles, and we can figure out the sides of the triangle using basic math. But beyond a couple of hundred light years, the angular shift is too small to measure.

Perhaps in 30 or 40 years, we'll be able to send space telescopes like the Hubble to orbits out near Neptune or even farther. That will increase our baseline distance 40 times or more, allowing us to use parallax to measure distances out to a thousand light years or more.

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Which star would have a greater parallax the earth or the arcturus?

Earth isn't a star and doesn't (can't) have a parallax, becuse we use Earth's orbit as a baseline to measure parallax.


If Vega is 25.3 light year from earth and arcturus is 36.7 light years away which star would have a greater parallax explain?

Vega would have a greater parallax due to its closer distance to Earth compared to Arcturus. Parallax is the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from different perspectives, and the nearer an object is to the observer, the larger its parallax.


Apparent movement of a star used to measure its distance from earth?

Parallax is the apparent movement of a star when viewed from different positions in Earth's orbit around the Sun. By measuring this shift in position, astronomers can calculate the distance to the star using trigonometry. The closer a star is to Earth, the greater its parallax angle and the more accurately its distance can be determined.


Sirius has a parallax of 0.377 arc seconds How far away is it from earth in arc seconds?

The distance from Earth to Sirius is the reciprocal of its parallax angle, so it would be 1 / 0.377 = 2.654 parsecs away.


Why is the uncertainty in astronomers' knowledge of a star's distance greater for stars that are farther from earth?

I believe that it is all to do with margin of error. The further away the planet, the greater the margin of error in the observations and therefore the greater the uncertainty in their distance from Earth.

Related Questions

Which star would have a greater parallax the earth or the arcturus?

Earth isn't a star and doesn't (can't) have a parallax, becuse we use Earth's orbit as a baseline to measure parallax.


If Vega is 25.3 light year from earth and arcturus is 36.7 light years away which star would have a greater parallax explain?

Vega would have a greater parallax due to its closer distance to Earth compared to Arcturus. Parallax is the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from different perspectives, and the nearer an object is to the observer, the larger its parallax.


Parallax would be easier to measure if?

Parallax would be easier to measure if the Earth were farther from the sun. This way, there will be a wider angle to the stars using the parallax method.


If a star's parallax angle is too small to measure what can you conclude about the star's distance from earth?

It means that the distance is greater than a certain amount - depending on how precisely you can measure the parallax.


Apparent movement of a star used to measure its distance from earth?

Parallax is the apparent movement of a star when viewed from different positions in Earth's orbit around the Sun. By measuring this shift in position, astronomers can calculate the distance to the star using trigonometry. The closer a star is to Earth, the greater its parallax angle and the more accurately its distance can be determined.


If a star's parallax angle is too small to measure what can you conclude about the star's distance from the earth?

It means that the distance is greater than a certain amount - depending on how precisely you can measure the parallax.


Sirius has a parallax of 0.377 arc seconds How far away is it from earth in arc seconds?

The distance from Earth to Sirius is the reciprocal of its parallax angle, so it would be 1 / 0.377 = 2.654 parsecs away.


Why is the uncertainty in astronomers' knowledge of a star's distance greater for stars that are farther from earth?

I believe that it is all to do with margin of error. The further away the planet, the greater the margin of error in the observations and therefore the greater the uncertainty in their distance from Earth.


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).


Parallax would be harder to measure if?

A parallax is hard to measure if it is very small - and this happens when the corresponding object is very far away.


What does it mean when a star has a larger parallax than another star?

It means that its apparent movement - due to Earth's movement around the Sun - is greater, and that therefore the star is closer to us.


How would your weight change on the surface of an Earth size planet whose mass was greater than earth's?

It would be greater.