Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781337399920
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Chapter 9, Problem 1RQ
To determine
The reason for which Earth-based parallax measurements limited to the nearest star.
Expert Solution & Answer
Answer to Problem 1RQ
Since, the orbit of Earth is very small compared to the distances to the star; there is a limitation of parallax measurement to the nearest star.
Explanation of Solution
By using the parallax measurement, one can obtain the apparent motion of star due to the Earth’s motion around the Sun. However the parallax measurement is limited for nearest star.
The orbit of Earth is very small compared to the distances to the star. Even the nearest star will show low parallax motion. Again, if the Earth’s orbit were large enough, it is possible to measure parallax to the star for larger distance. Hence, due to small orbit of Earth compared to the distances of star, there is a limitation of parallax measurement to the nearest star.
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Students have asked these similar questions
15: A star has a parallax angle of 0.0270 arcseconds and an apparent magnitude of 4.641. What is the distance to this star? Answer: 37
16: What is the absolute magnitude of this star? Answer:1.8
17: Is this star more or less luminous than the Sun? Answer "M" for More luminous or "L" for Less luminous. (HINT: the absolute magnitude of the Sun is 4.8) Answer: M
18: What is the luminosity of this star? (HINT: The luminosity of the Sun is 3.85×1026 W.)
Please answer question #18, #15-17 are correct, the photos provide the work for them.
the parallax angle of a star to be 0.002 arc-seconds. what would the distance be to this star?
You measure a star to have a parallax angle of 0.12 arc-seconds
What is the distance to this star in parsecs?
8.33
Hint: d = 1/p
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]
Chapter 9 Solutions
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 9 - Prob. 1RQCh. 9 - Why was the Hipparcos satellite able to make more...Ch. 9 - Prob. 3RQCh. 9 - Prob. 4RQCh. 9 - Prob. 5RQCh. 9 - Prob. 6RQCh. 9 - Prob. 7RQCh. 9 - Prob. 8RQCh. 9 - Prob. 9RQCh. 9 - Prob. 10RQ
Ch. 9 - Prob. 11RQCh. 9 - Prob. 12RQCh. 9 - Prob. 13RQCh. 9 - Prob. 14RQCh. 9 - Prob. 15RQCh. 9 - Prob. 16RQCh. 9 - Prob. 17RQCh. 9 - Prob. 18RQCh. 9 - Prob. 19RQCh. 9 - Prob. 20RQCh. 9 - Prob. 21RQCh. 9 - Prob. 22RQCh. 9 - Prob. 23RQCh. 9 - Prob. 24RQCh. 9 - Prob. 25RQCh. 9 - Prob. 26RQCh. 9 - Prob. 27RQCh. 9 - Prob. 28RQCh. 9 - Prob. 29RQCh. 9 - Prob. 30RQCh. 9 - Prob. 31RQCh. 9 - Prob. 32RQCh. 9 - How Do We Know? In what way are basic scientific...Ch. 9 - Prob. 1PCh. 9 - Prob. 2PCh. 9 - Prob. 3PCh. 9 - Prob. 4PCh. 9 - Complete the following table:Ch. 9 - Prob. 6PCh. 9 - Prob. 7PCh. 9 - Prob. 8PCh. 9 - Prob. 9PCh. 9 - Prob. 10PCh. 9 - Prob. 11PCh. 9 - Prob. 12PCh. 9 - Prob. 13PCh. 9 - Prob. 14PCh. 9 - Prob. 15PCh. 9 - Prob. 16PCh. 9 - Prob. 17PCh. 9 - Prob. 18PCh. 9 - Prob. 19PCh. 9 - Prob. 20PCh. 9 - Prob. 1SOPCh. 9 - Prob. 2SOPCh. 9 - Prob. 3SOPCh. 9 - Look at the image on the opening page of this...Ch. 9 - Prob. 2LTLCh. 9 - Prob. 3LTLCh. 9 - Prob. 4LTL
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- What is the advantage of measuring a parallax distance to a star as compared to our other distance measuring methods?arrow_forwardWhich of the following is a true statement? A smaller diameter star can never have a smaller number for its apparent magnitude than a larger star. Two stars with the same diameter and effective surface temperature will necessarily have the same absolute magnitude as well. Aristotle was the first person to detect stellar parallax. All G2 stars necessarily have the same absolute magnitude.arrow_forwardThe satellite Hipparcos was launched in 1989 to measure very accurate parallax angles of stars; it has provided the most accurate parallax measurements ever obtained. The smallest parallax angle it can measure is 0.002". How far away is the most distant star to which Hipparcos can measure the distance?arrow_forward
- Which star in the table below is the closest to Earth? Star Name d (parsecs) Parallax (seconds of arc) Spectral Type $$ \delta $$ Cen 0.026 B2 IV HR 4607 0.039 G8 III HR 4758 20 G0 V HR 39801 0.005 M2 I 9 CMa 2.5 A1 V a. $$ \delta $$ Cen b. HR 4607 c. HR 4758 d. HD 39801 e. 9 CMaarrow_forwardA star is observed at a distance of 90 pc. What will be its parallax angle?arrow_forwardIn the parallax method of determining stellar distances, the angle to a star is measured while the earth is on one side of the sun and then again six months later, as in the diagram below. Assume the earth-sun distance is 1 Astronomical Unit. The parallax angle of Alpha Centauri is 0= 2.1 x 10-4 ° . Find the distance from the sun to a Centauri in light years. Assume a circular orbit for the Earth. a Centauri Earth (June) Earth (December) Sunarrow_forward
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- If we view a star now, and then view it again 6 months later, our position will have changed by the diameter of the Earth's orbit around the sun. For nearby stars (within 100 light-years or so), the change in viewing location is sufficient to make the star appear to be in a slightly different location in the sky. Half of the angle from one location to the next is known as the parallax angle (see figure). Parallax can be used to measure the distance to the star. An approximate relationship is given by d = 3.26 p , where d is the distance in light-years, and p is the parallax measured in seconds of arc. Vega is a star that has a parallax angle of 0.13 second. How far is Vega from the sun? Note: Parallax is used not only to measure stellar distances. Our binocular vision actually provides the brain with a parallax angle that it uses to estimate distances to objects we see. (Round your answer to two decimal places.) light-yearsarrow_forwardAs seen from Earth, the Sun has an apparent magnitude of about 26.7 . What is the apparent magnitude of the Sun as seen from Saturn, about 10 AU away? (Remember that one AU is the distance from Earth to the Sun and that the brightness decreases as the inverse square of the distance.) Would the Sun still be the brightest star in the sky?arrow_forwardWhat would be the advantage of making parallax measurements from Pluto rather than from Earth? Would there be a disadvantage?arrow_forward
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