Essay On Parallax

The term parallax is derived from the Greek term “parallelism” which means the ability to change. Parallax defines the displacement of stationary objects when viewed from different positions. Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (1784 –1846)

, a German astronomer and mathematician, was the first person to calculate the distance from the sun to another star in space. Alfa is parallax angle, of which stars B & C are seen to make from star A. The angle Alfa is variable due to rotation of the earth around the sun. Measuring the parallax angle is also known as the trigonometric parallax.

It has been hypothesized by multiple astronomers that as the distance to the star increases, the parallax angle decreases. This assumption is demonstrated in the following diagram.

However, the astronomers regard stars “near the earth” even if the distance are large such the distance of the sun from the earth.

Rationale:

I have always been interested in space and astronomy. The mystery of vast space fascinates me. I decided

To start, the following data and conversion factors will be used throughout the process of finding the distance between the two stars.

A (earth-sun distance): 1.50 x 1011m = 1AU

X (earth-proxima distance): 4.22 light years.

1 degree = 3600 arc seconds

1 light year (ly) = 9.46 x 1015 m

However, in order to get started I thought it would be helpful to convert X= 4.22 light years into meters by multiplying it by the conversion factor 9.46 x 1015, which makes X= 3.99 x 1016 m.

After equating all the units, I thought it would be helpful to put all the measurements on a triangular diagram, so that it is easier to