Astronomical distances Flashcards
What is 1AU?
Average distance from the Earth to the Sun, (150*10^9m).
Astronomical units are used for what size of distances?
Small - ie- between the Sun and planets.
What is one light year?
Distance travelled by light in one year.
What is one parsec?
3.26 light years.
Parsecs are considered?
PARallax SEConds. They measure distances to other stars.
What is the formula to find distance?
d = Radius of Earth’s orbit around sun/tan a
How can degrees be converted to parsecs?
1 arc second = 1/3600 degrees, find arc seconds using tan a and then use D (parsecs)= 1/arcseconds to find distance in parsecs.
What does parallax show?
As Earth moves around the Sun from January to July, a nearby star apparently shifts with respect to the background. The closer the star, the larger the parallax/interior angle.
