Surveying the Stars

For stars that are relatively nearby, we can “triangulate” the distances from a baseline created by Earth’s annual motion around the Sun. 

Half the shift in a nearby star’s position relative to very distant background stars, as viewed from opposite sides of Earth’s orbit, is called the parallax of that star and is a measure of its distance. 

The units used to measure stellar distance are the light-year, the distance light travels in 1 year, and the parsec (pc), the distance of a star with a parallax of 1 arcsecond (1 parsec = 3.26 light-years).

SpaceX fires engines of Starship Super Heavy booster

SpaceX fires engines of Starship Super Heavy booster | The hunt is on for 2nd closest monster black hole to Earth | Space quiz: Astronomers have proposed a method for searching a neighboring galaxy for what may be the second-closest supermassive black hole to Earth. The closest known supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, is in what galaxy? Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com |  Web Version November 30, 2022 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad SpaceX fires engines of Starship Super Heavy booster (SpaceX) SpaceX is prepping Booster 7 for an orbital test flight. Full Story: Space (11/29)      The hunt is on for 2nd closest monster black hole to Earth (Scott Anttila Anttler) Astronomers may finally have a way to hunt for a monstrous supermassive black hole they suspect lurks in the dwarf galaxy next door. Full Story: Space (11/30)      POLL QUESTION: Space quiz: Astronomers have proposed a method for searching a neighboring galaxy for what may be the second-closest supermassive black hole to Earth. The closest known supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, is in what galaxy? Learn the answer here! Messier 83 Leo I Milky Way Antlia II Space Deal of the Day Celestron telescope & binocular deals (Celestron) We've scoped out all the best Celestron telescope and binoculars deals and put them in this handy guide. Full Story: Space (11/30)      Skywatching See Mars at its best on Wednesday (Nov. 30) (Starry Night Software) The Red Planet will be at its closest to Earth this week, offering skywatchers an excellent opportunity to observe it. Full Story: Space (11/30)      See the half-lit first quarter moon on Wednesday (Nov. 30) (NASA) Half of the moon's face will be illuminated on the last day of November during the first quarter moon. Full Story: Space (11/30)      Science & Astronomy Lab-grown black hole may prove Stephen Hawking right (Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images) By using a chain of atoms to simulate a black hole's event horizon, researchers have shown that Hawking radiation may exist just as the late physicist described. Full Story: Space (11/30)      Super-distant black hole is blasting its leftovers at Earth (Carl Knox – OzGrav, ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, Swinburne University of Technology) Astronomers have made the most distant observation of a black hole ripping apart a star and feasting upon it, thanks to a jet of stellar "leftovers" blasted directly toward Earth. Full Story: Space (11/30)      SpaceX SpaceX delays launch of Japanese moon lander (ispace) SpaceX says the delay was to allow for "additional pre-flight checkouts." Full Story: Space (11/30)      Search for Life Search for life in Venus' clouds comes up empty (JAXA) The airplane-mounted SOFIA telescope didn't see signs of a possible biomarker. Full Story: Space (11/30)      Star Wars 'Andor' concludes epic first season (Disney+) Dodging a barrage of blaster fire, Dedra gets hit - by Cupid's arrow - as she and her new beau, Syril sneak away and escape the crowds on Ferrix. Full Story: Space (11/29)        Sign Up  |    Update Profile  |    Unsubscribe Privacy Policy  |    Cookies Policy  |    Terms and Conditions CONTACT US: FEEDBACK  |    ADVERTISE Future US LLC © 1100 13th St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005