Introductory Astronomy: Parallax, the Parsec, and Distances

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  • Опубликовано: 22 мар 2013
  • Video lecture that discusses the concept of parallax, the unit of the parsec, and how astronomers can determine the distances to the most nearby stars.
    Since many of you come here because "parsec" is mentioned in Star Wars, I highly recommend you get this book: amzn.to/2R72QoU
    Disclosure: some of the links in this video description are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I may receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Комментарии • 63

  • @Sargentleman
    @Sargentleman 6 лет назад +46

    This didn't really explain how the parallax angle is found. How from the images in January and July do you convert that perceived motion to a parallax angle?

  • @amenalyasiry1848
    @amenalyasiry1848 10 лет назад +65

    Very informative video, I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is interested in astronomy, pretty cool.

  • @charli246
    @charli246 8 лет назад +57

    But how do you measure the angle if it just looks like the star is moving side to side?

  • @luisdiniz3211
    @luisdiniz3211 8 лет назад +8

    Great video! The concepts are explained in a very clear way, such details as the variable used to the inner angle or the unit of distance do not interfere to comprehend the main idea! Good job!

  • @ShogunDude
    @ShogunDude 7 лет назад +7

    Awesome video, you just tought me what four books and two videos couldn't!

  • @psychologist_soumyadeep
    @psychologist_soumyadeep 8 лет назад +10

    Absolutely the best explanation of parsec on RUclips.

  • @juliabudd2150
    @juliabudd2150 6 лет назад +8

    This actually helped me a lot thank you so much!! :)

  • @aadityaabraham4808
    @aadityaabraham4808 7 лет назад +1

    Thank you. That video really simplified the concept. :)

  • @amandaarrudamelo
    @amandaarrudamelo 4 года назад

    This video is awesome. Thanks for helping me.

  • @harryzefaa
    @harryzefaa 8 лет назад +8

    Excuse me but i can see that the apparent motion of a star is going to be an ellipse, but i don't understand how from that ellipse you can measure the parallax angle.

  • @sabinefrank1061
    @sabinefrank1061 5 лет назад +1

    Vielen Dank. Nun habe ich das mal so richtig verstanden. Super

  • @rappodschess6211
    @rappodschess6211 8 лет назад +1

    this a truely a great video

  • @weejim48
    @weejim48 4 года назад +6

    Mind officially blown. 👍

  • @simplysweet3037
    @simplysweet3037 7 лет назад

    explanations are very useful. thank u .

  • @Jenterke
    @Jenterke 6 лет назад +5

    wouldn't the background stars also move due to parallax? How then to measure the angle of parallax of the star if there is no static background to measure against?

  • @joneslu1377
    @joneslu1377 5 лет назад +2

    I think I have got it. Thank you!

  • @hubble2111
    @hubble2111 7 лет назад

    very good explaination ,thx

  • @30hotmale
    @30hotmale 8 лет назад +8

    Very illustrative and helpful video..Thanks a Lot..BUT:
    Although, it doesn't make a difference here, it's better if SI units are used in science illustrations and not miles, feet, ounce etc.
    I think it's a catastrophe to use the symbol "pi" for an unknown angle for obvious reasons.

  • @aspie38
    @aspie38 10 лет назад +2

    Very helpful! :))
    There's one thing I want to know more about.. For example, If I know a star's parallax angle, how can I relate it to a star's RA/Dec change?
    at 7:51 he says that the interior angle is the size of the entire shift… so does it mean that, change in RA and parallax angle are directly connected to each other?

  • @yellowhue30
    @yellowhue30 7 лет назад +2

    What if you mimicked this on a microscopic level, under a microscope? Would it be possible to extrapolate to greater distance through considering a equation related to measurement scaling?

  • @vedanshpaliwal2755
    @vedanshpaliwal2755 7 лет назад +7

    how do they measure the angle and why "pi" is used as the symbol for unknown angle?????

  • @Gilinator
    @Gilinator 7 лет назад

    thank you!

  • @kattimanis623
    @kattimanis623 6 лет назад

    Good explanation sir

  • @lexmatthewtheurbanavenger7801
    @lexmatthewtheurbanavenger7801 7 лет назад

    exquisite as a scientific technician

  • @nothinghamnot1587
    @nothinghamnot1587 8 лет назад

    Good vid very nice!!!

  • @phongluunguyen1144
    @phongluunguyen1144 7 лет назад

    May I ask, what if 3 triangle tops (Earth in January, Earth in July and the nearby star) didn't form an isosceles triangle, how could we measure the distance then???

  • @Shardesangz
    @Shardesangz 10 лет назад +1

    Wonderful Thanks! I will definitely share this with my class.

  • @abhijeetsingh3722
    @abhijeetsingh3722 7 лет назад

    how do we know the distance between the star and the sun

  • @Kimmycrossen
    @Kimmycrossen 10 лет назад +4

    This is very helpful thank you! ♡

  • @alexcastillonetwork2468
    @alexcastillonetwork2468 5 лет назад +3

    Even the speed of light has a incredible speed of 300,000km /sec it would be still slow to see it's speed if it will travel across our milky way galaxy which takes 100,000 light years accross..

  • @abhishekbhattacharya8022
    @abhishekbhattacharya8022 9 лет назад +10

    what if the star,sun and earth do not for a right angled triangle?.....

    • @MartinPoulter
      @MartinPoulter 8 лет назад

      +abhishek bhattacharya If you choose the right time in the year to make an observation from Earth, you will always be able to get a right angled triangle.

    • @jaredronning3020
      @jaredronning3020 8 лет назад

      You wait until the time of year at which they do.

    • @makmanman
      @makmanman 5 лет назад

      abhishek bhattacharya You simply adjust your measurement points (i.e. times of the year in earth’s orbit around the sun at which you make your measurements) such that you create a right angle.

    • @Jenterke
      @Jenterke 4 года назад

      Do you after four years know the answer? I'd like to know as well!
      I suppose that they wait to measure until the earth moves in a position so that it does form a right angle.

  • @pencils1951
    @pencils1951 10 лет назад +5

    What he failed to tell you was that a parsec is 3.26 light years, meaning that Proxima Centauri is 3.912 light years distant.

    • @alexsh4517
      @alexsh4517 9 лет назад +2

      He said 1.2 parsec

    • @pencils1951
      @pencils1951 8 лет назад

      www.universetoday.com/32872/parsec/Alex SH

    • @jaredronning3020
      @jaredronning3020 8 лет назад

      Your point?

    • @blazensaddle4721
      @blazensaddle4721 5 лет назад

      Well why don’t you make your own video smarty?

    • @mendri789
      @mendri789 4 года назад

      @@alexsh4517 1.2×3.26=3.912 light years quick maths

  • @sparhopper
    @sparhopper 10 лет назад +11

    Just for fun. . .
    Han was wrong!
    One cannot make the Kessel Run 'in' 12 parsecs (as a parsec is a unit of distance, not time). It should be: "That's the starship that made the Kessel Run 'of' 12 parsecs, 'in' x amount of time".
    No?

    • @sadjupiter502
      @sadjupiter502 9 лет назад +4

      True, unless the objective of the Kessel Run was to go from star A to star B to star C ~12 parsecs usually and he took a shortcut.
      Traveling slightly slower than light it would take more than 39.1 years, ok for someone like Yoda who is centuries old, major investment for humans. Han could have bought the ship from a very old guy that did it. Lots of variables and very few details.
      Great video, very concise.Well done.

    • @Georg360s
      @Georg360s 9 лет назад +1

      In a warp of 12 parsecs ;p

    • @jaisonat
      @jaisonat 6 лет назад

      Tell this to Crash Course too ( if it is that channel you meant)

    • @yiva2037
      @yiva2037 5 лет назад +1

      I think he uses a wormhole so that's why he made the distance smaller, watch the new movie

    • @GoSlash27
      @GoSlash27 5 лет назад

      Yeah, but the important part to remember is that he shot first.

  • @miroslawskovsky-skolyszews6384
    @miroslawskovsky-skolyszews6384 4 года назад +1

    How do you measure that angle?

    • @perobinson
      @perobinson  4 года назад +4

      The parallax angle is measured by looking at the apparent position of the same nearby star at least 6 months apart. The angular separation between those positions is measured in arcseconds. Half of that separation is the parallax angle used in the distance calculations.

  • @ritikaghosh3075
    @ritikaghosh3075 7 лет назад

    not bad😃😃😃😃😃😃

  • @omarjones1460
    @omarjones1460 8 лет назад

    How is it that the Millennium Falcon can make the Kessel run in less than 12 Parsecs, when a parsec is a unit of distance and not time?

  • @theadel8591
    @theadel8591 5 лет назад +4

    imperial units make me angry. Just join the world and let go of these piece of junk units would you ever do that Americans? my full respect and thanks for the informative video.

  • @martinsalko1
    @martinsalko1 5 лет назад

    You haven't used tau, how dare you. *Shouts in Victorian English*

  • @zizzinosky
    @zizzinosky 9 лет назад +39

    Nice try but...
    Use "miles" in a scientific video?
    Use "pi" for unknown angle?

    • @perobinson
      @perobinson  9 лет назад +51

      Zed Leganerd Most non-scientists in US and UK are familiar with miles, so I see nothing wrong with providing the context occasionally. A working scientist in this field who is familiar with the peculiar units probably has no need of this video.
      The entire greek alphabet is routinely used for variables in physical sciences for a large variety of specific situations. Such is the case here. Astronomers denote parallax angle using the greek letter pi.

    • @EricDunbar97
      @EricDunbar97 8 лет назад

      +P.E. Robinson I do have to agree with Zed The Bot. Miles?
      Your target audience almost certainly is capable of understanding kilometers (who on Earth uses miles still?). Brits are completely immersed in the metric system, and, I really hope that Americans are not so poorly educated that they don't understand the metric system either.

    • @EricDunbar97
      @EricDunbar97 8 лет назад

      +P.E. Robinson Please don't get the wrong impression. I do thank you for putting this very nice video on-line!

    • @54quesada
      @54quesada 7 лет назад

      I do.

    • @EricDunbar97
      @EricDunbar97 7 лет назад

      For short distances miles may be acceptable in the UK and the US but for longer distances there's no point to talking about miles for distances an order of magnitude greater than a few thousand units. For someone to conceptually understand the difference between 1000 and 1 000 000 a person must understand the metric system so why bother confusing the issue by using an archaic measurement system? Other than maybe nationalism?

  • @ganja_guy8089
    @ganja_guy8089 4 года назад +1

    We never see the stars change