Universe: Stars And Galaxies
Universe: Stars And Galaxies
6th Edition
ISBN: 9781319115098
Author: Roger Freedman, Robert Geller, William J. Kaufmann
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Chapter 17, Problem 1Q
To determine

The method in which the distance measurement of star is similar to human binocular vision.

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Explanation of Solution

Consider an object at point A. Observe it from points B and C some distance apart. The position of Object at A appears different from two points.

This apparent change in position of the object due to change in point of the observer is called parallax. The parallax is also the angle opposite to baseline that lines AC and BC make with the line AD. Binocular vision is the method of measuring distance by naked eye.

Universe: Stars And Galaxies, Chapter 17, Problem 1Q

To measure the distance of any astronomical object requires a very large baseline and highly precise angular measurements. Due to revolution of Earth around Sun, the direction of a nearby stars changes from Earth.Nearby stars appear to move back and forth relative to more distant stars and the motion knownas stellar parallax.

Relation between a star’s distance and its parallax:

d=1p

Here, d is thedistance to a star, in parsecs and p is the parallax angle of that star, in arc second.

The parallax of a star is half of the angle through which star shift.The larger the parallax p, the smaller is the distance d to the star.

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Suppose there are three stars moving with the same total speed of 40 km/s but in three different directions:(A) moving away at an angle of 45 degrees from your line of sight, (B) moving directly away from you, (C) moving perpendicular to your line of sight. List the stars in order of increasing amount of shift you see in their spectral lines (the smallest shift first).
You measure a star to have a parallax angle of 0.12 arc-seconds. What fraction of a degree is this? By how many times would you have to magnify this effect for it to be visible to the human eye? (The limit of human vision is about 1 arc-minute) What is the distance to this star in parsecs? What is the distance to this star in light years What is the parallax angle of a different star that is twice as far away as the star from the previous problems? [answer in arc-seconds without including the unit]
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Chapter 17 Solutions

Universe: Stars And Galaxies

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