Cosmology and astronomy: Stellar parallax
Description
Another version of the stellar parallax introduction
Cosmology and astronomy
It's a great, big universe out there. In this section of Khan Academy, you'll learn about the brain-bending vastness of time and space. We go from plate tectonics here on Earth to entire galaxies and beyond.
Stellar parallax
We've talked a lot about distances to stars, but how do we know? Stellar parallax--which looks at how much a star shifts in the sky when Earth is at various points in its orbit--is the oldest technique we have for measuring how far stars are. It is great for "nearby" stars even with precise instruments (i.e, in our part of our galaxy). To measure distance further, we have to start thinking about…
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Another version of the stellar parallax introduction
Cosmology and astronomy
It's a great, big universe out there. In this section of Khan Academy, you'll learn about the brain-bending vastness of time and space. We go from plate tectonics here on Earth to entire galaxies and beyond.
Stellar parallax
We've talked a lot about distances to stars, but how do we know? Stellar parallax--which looks at how much a star shifts in the sky when Earth is at various points in its orbit--is the oldest technique we have for measuring how far stars are. It is great for "nearby" stars even with precise instruments (i.e, in our part of our galaxy). To measure distance further, we have to start thinking about Cepheid variables (other tutorial).
Topic: Science
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