
Concept explainers
The way in which the stellar parallax used to measure the distances.

Answer to Problem 1RD
The astronomers view a nearby star from opposite side of the Earth’s orbit, but relative to the background starts, the position of this star changes. The amount of this motion is inversely proportional to the distance. The inverse of this motion measured in arc seconds equal to the distance
Explanation of Solution
The distance to the nearest stars can be measured using parallax. Parallax is the apparent motion of nearby objects due to the change in viewing position of the observer. The parallax is determined by comparing photographs made from the two ends of the baseline.
Astronomers are convenient to measure the parallax in arc second rather than in degree, because that stars are so far away, and the stellar parallax are always very small. The parallax decreases as distance increases. The relation between the distance and parallax can be expressed as,
Conclusion:
Therefore, the astronomers view a nearby star from opposite side of the Earth’s orbit, but relative to the background starts, the position of this star changes. The amount of this motion is inversely proportional to the distance. The inverse of this motion measured in arc seconds equal to the distance.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 10 Solutions
Pearson eText Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe -- Instant Access (Pearson+)
- 20. Two small conducting spheres are placed on top of insulating pads. The 3.7 × 10-10 C sphere is fixed whie the 3.0 × 107 C sphere, initially at rest, is free to move. The mass of each sphere is 0.09 kg. If the spheres are initially 0.10 m apart, how fast will the sphere be moving when they are 1.5 m apart?arrow_forwardpls help on allarrow_forwardpls help on thesearrow_forward
- pls help on all asked questions kindlyarrow_forwardpls help on all asked questions kindlyarrow_forward19. Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, has a peak of 8849 m above sea level. Assume that sea level defines the height of Earth's surface. (re = 6.38 × 106 m, ME = 5.98 × 1024 kg, G = 6.67 × 10 -11 Nm²/kg²) a. Calculate the strength of Earth's gravitational field at a point at the peak of Mount Everest. b. What is the ratio of the strength of Earth's gravitational field at a point 644416m below the surface of the Earth to a point at the top of Mount Everest? C. A tourist watching the sunrise on top of Mount Everest observes a satellite orbiting Earth at an altitude 3580 km above his position. Determine the speed of the satellite.arrow_forward
- pls help on allarrow_forwardpls help on allarrow_forward6. As the distance between two charges decreases, the magnitude of the electric potential energy of the two-charge system: a) Always increases b) Always decreases c) Increases if the charges have the same sign, decreases if they have the opposite signs d) Increases if the charges have the opposite sign, decreases if they have the same sign 7. To analyze the motion of an elastic collision between two charged particles we use conservation of & a) Energy, Velocity b) Momentum, Force c) Mass, Momentum d) Energy, Momentum e) Kinetic Energy, Potential Energyarrow_forward
- College PhysicsPhysicsISBN:9781305952300Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris VuillePublisher:Cengage LearningUniversity Physics (14th Edition)PhysicsISBN:9780133969290Author:Hugh D. Young, Roger A. FreedmanPublisher:PEARSONIntroduction To Quantum MechanicsPhysicsISBN:9781107189638Author:Griffiths, David J., Schroeter, Darrell F.Publisher:Cambridge University Press
- Physics for Scientists and EngineersPhysicsISBN:9781337553278Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningLecture- Tutorials for Introductory AstronomyPhysicsISBN:9780321820464Author:Edward E. Prather, Tim P. Slater, Jeff P. Adams, Gina BrissendenPublisher:Addison-WesleyCollege Physics: A Strategic Approach (4th Editio...PhysicsISBN:9780134609034Author:Randall D. Knight (Professor Emeritus), Brian Jones, Stuart FieldPublisher:PEARSON





