The distance in parsecs and the time the light takes to reach earth

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Chapter 13, Problem 36QP

To determine

The distance in parsecs and the time the light takes to reach earth

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Use a diagram to explain what is meant by the parallax angle, p, for a star observed twice from Earth, with a 6-month interval between each observation. Hence define the parsec, and calculate its value in astronomical units and metres. The star Betelgeuse is observed to have a parallax angle p = 4.5 × 10−3 arcseconds. State the distance of Betelgeuse in units of parsecs and light years.

One of the closest stars to the sun has a parallax of 0.5 arcseconds. What is the distance to this star, in parsecs?

If we view a star now, and then view it again 6 months later, our position will have changed by the diameter of the Earth's orbit around the sun. For nearby stars (within 100 light-years or so), the change in viewing location is sufficient to make the star appear to be in a slightly different location in the sky. Half of the angle from one location to the next is known as the parallax angle (see figure). Parallax can be used to measure the distance to the star. An approximate relationship is given by d = 3.26 p , where d is the distance in light-years, and p is the parallax measured in seconds of arc. Vega is a star that has a parallax angle of 0.13 second. How far is Vega from the sun? Note: Parallax is used not only to measure stellar distances. Our binocular vision actually provides the brain with a parallax angle that it uses to estimate distances to objects we see. (Round your answer to two decimal places.) light-years