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Distances to Stars: Parsecs and Light Years

Distances to Stars: Parsecs and Light Years. The Stars are other Suns. “L’amor che move il Sole E le altre stelle”… Dante, end Of Paradiso. Or…the Sun is the closest star. Think about them: Demo of “Starry Night”. Basic Questions about Stars. How far away are they? How hot are they?

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Distances to Stars: Parsecs and Light Years

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  1. Distances to Stars: Parsecs and Light Years

  2. The Stars are other Suns “L’amor che move il Sole E le altre stelle”… Dante, end Of Paradiso Or…the Sun is the closest star Think about them: Demo of “Starry Night”

  3. Basic Questions about Stars • How far away are they? • How hot are they? • How massive are they • What are they made of? • Do they have planets too? • How do they change with time (stellar evolution) 16 Cygni

  4. Most Basic Method of Stellar Distance Determination Trigonometric parallax: an ordinary surveying technique Figure 16.1 of textbook, and Section 16.2 DEMO

  5. The concept of parallax and distance measurement

  6. How big is the angular shift? s Th r If Th << 45 degrees, Th (in radians) = s/r 90 degrees make a right angle 60 arcminutes made one degree 60 arcseconds make one arcminute

  7. The values of stellar parallax Smaller parallax > greater distance Largest parallax = 0.75 arcseconds 1 arcsecond = dime at 1.3 miles

  8. Alpha Centauri, the closest star

  9. How close/far is Alpha Centauri, and what units do we use to describe its distance? • 1 parallax-second = 1 parsec = 3.08E+16m =206,265 au. Alpha Centauri is 1.33 parsecs • If 1 au were 1cm, Alpha Centauri at a distance of 1.5 miles • The Light Year = (2.9979E+08 m/sec)*(3.156E+07 sec) = 9.461E+15 m. Alpha Centauri is 4.3 light years away • 1 parsec = 3.26 ly

  10. Think back to descriptions of solar system distances (light minutes to light days) and compare the situation for nearby stars to get an idea of the immensity of interstellar space

  11. Sources of Parallax Measurements • Pre-1990: ground-based telescopes, ~ 1000 stars measured • Hipparchus: 118,000 stars measured • See book for breakdown on precision (section 16.2 of book)

  12. What distances do we have for the nearest stars? • Appendix 11 of book • Abbreviated Version

  13. Look at Appendix 12 (distances to brightest stars) and think about the significance of those data

  14. What are the distances to the stars in Cygnus?

  15. Distances to the Stars of Cygnus 990pc 3.5 pc 22 parsecs 17pc 125 pc 467 pc 52 pc

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