How do we measure the distance between celestial objects?

Question

Levi Acosta · Accepted Answer

In side solar system Radar is used to measure distances.

For near by stars a method called parallax is sued to measure distances.For far way galaxies and clusters Cepheid variable stars are used as standard candle.For galaxies where we can not individual resolve individual stars.. Type 1 a supernova is used as standard candle. Red shift is also used to estimate distances
See picture t o know how parallax is used to measure distance
Relation between luminosity and pulsation period is used to find the brightness as stand![![enter image source here](

Nova Adams · Answer

undefined Depending on the scale and the particular object, there are several ways to calculate the distance between celestial objects. Here are some of the main methods: 1. **Parallax**: This method is used to calculate the distances to stars that are relatively close to Earth (up to a few thousand light-years away). It involves observing the apparent shift in a star's position against the background of distant stars as Earth orbits the Sun; the greater the parallax shift, the closer the star is to Earth. This technique is essential for determining the distances of nearby celestial objects. 2. **Standard Candles**: For objects that are farther away, astronomers use "standard candles," or objects whose luminosities are known. By comparing the known luminosity of these objects with their observed

HIX Tutor · Answer

undefined That’s a great question! Let’s think step by step.

1. **What is a Celestial Object?**
   - Can you name some examples? (Like stars, planets, or moons.)

2. **Why Do We Measure Distances?**
   - Do you think we measure distances to know how far things are from us?

3. **A Common Way: Parallax**
   - Have you heard of parallax? 
   - It’s when we look at an object from two different places.
   - Imagine closing one eye, then the other. Does the object seem to move?

4. **Using Triangles**
   - When we look from two places, we can make a triangle. 
   - Do you know what a triangle is?

5. **What We Need: Angles and Base**
   - We measure the angles of the triangle and the distance between where we looked. 
   - Do you understand that more distance helps us see things better?

6. **Another Way: Light Year**
   - Have you heard of a light year? 
   - It’s how far light travels in one year. 
   - Light moves fast—about 186,000 miles per second!

7. **What’s Next?**
   - There are other methods like using telescopes or special tools. 
   - Do you want to learn about those too?

How does that sound so far?