Search a title or topic

Over 20 million podcasts, powered by 

Player FM logo
Artwork

Content provided by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.
Player FM - Podcast App
Go offline with the Player FM app!

Space Stories - Parallax: Measuring the Cosmos

9:48
 
Share
 

Manage episode 509312156 series 49427
Content provided by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Hosted by Richard Drumm, our Editor.

The word of the day today is parallax! Specifically stellar parallax.

So what’s parallax & what does it mean to astronomers? As it happens, I was part of the UVA Parallax team in the early 1980s. Best part-time job ever! So for once I might know a little bit about what I’m talking about! I’ll do my best to describe it so you can understand the science.

An easy method to help grasp the concept is for you to hold out your thumb at arm’s length and close one eye, then the other, switching back & forth between them while looking at your thumb. The location of your thumb seems to shift with each eye’s view. If your, uh, thumb was 20 feet away from your eye, the shift would be much less. You can measure the baseline, the distance between your eyes and, using a little trigonometry calculate the distance to your thumb. Simple!

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!

Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!

Every bit helps! Thank you!

------------------------------------

Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness!

http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.

Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!)

------------------------------------

The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu

Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].

  continue reading

2628 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 509312156 series 49427
Content provided by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Hosted by Richard Drumm, our Editor.

The word of the day today is parallax! Specifically stellar parallax.

So what’s parallax & what does it mean to astronomers? As it happens, I was part of the UVA Parallax team in the early 1980s. Best part-time job ever! So for once I might know a little bit about what I’m talking about! I’ll do my best to describe it so you can understand the science.

An easy method to help grasp the concept is for you to hold out your thumb at arm’s length and close one eye, then the other, switching back & forth between them while looking at your thumb. The location of your thumb seems to shift with each eye’s view. If your, uh, thumb was 20 feet away from your eye, the shift would be much less. You can measure the baseline, the distance between your eyes and, using a little trigonometry calculate the distance to your thumb. Simple!

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!

Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!

Every bit helps! Thank you!

------------------------------------

Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness!

http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.

Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!)

------------------------------------

The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu

Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].

  continue reading

2628 episodes

All episodes

×
 
Loading …

Welcome to Player FM!

Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.

 

Copyright 2025 | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | | Copyright
Listen to this show while you explore
Play