Action item 1: a) The red giant star Betelgeuse is 640 light years distance. Wha

Question

Action item 1: a) The red giant star Betelgeuse is 640 light years distance. What is its parallax in arc seconds and then in degrees? Hint: 1 pc 3.261 light years. b) A pivotal battle between the United Federation of Planets and the Borg Collective was fought around the star Wolf 359. This particular star has a parallax of 0.419 arc seconds. How long would it take a radio message to travel from a Federation ship to the Earth? Show all your calculations. ) A particular photographic survey can measure the positions of stars to an accuracy of 103 arc seconds. Out to what distance from the Sun (in parsecs) can the survey data be used to measure stellar parallaxes? Explain your reasoning and show all calculations.

Explanation / Answer

a)

D = 1 / P

D = distance in the parsecs

P = angle in the arcseconds (parallax)

red giant star Betelguese = 640 light years

we know that 1parsecs(pc) = 3.261 light years

640 light years = 640 / 3.261 = 196.259 pc

D = 196.259 pc

P= 1 / 196.259 = 5.0953 x 10-3 arcseconds

P =  5.0953 x 10-3 arcsconds / (60 x60) = 1.4154 x 10-6 degrees

b)

For fight betwen United Federation of Planets and the Borg Collective was fought around the star Wolf 359

given

P = 0.419 arcseconds

D = 1 / 0.419arcseconds = 2.3867 pc

1pc (parsecs) = 3.261 light years

D = 2.3867 x 3.261 = 7.782816 light years

Radio waves travels at speed of light so will take 7 years-9 months -11 days -19hours-31minutes- 56seconds (7.782816 years) to transmit the message

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