How would you use the parallax formula to calculate the distance to each of the following stars?

Question

Alpha Centauri: parallax angle 0.7420.

Procyon: parallax angle of 0.2860.

3778 views around the world

You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License

Answer 1 · 2017-01-28T09:47:55

As 2-sd approximations in light year unit,

4.4 and 11 light years.

I assume that the angle unit is not degree.

If it a second =1/3600 degree,

the distance = 1/(parallax angle in radian) AU

The distance of Proxima Centauri is

#((0.7420/3600)(pi/180))^(-1) AU#

#277985 AU#

#=277985/63242=4.40 light years, nearly.

The distance of Procyon is inversely proportional. It is .

4.40(0.742/0.286)=11.4 light years, nearly