Measuring the Distance to the Pleiades – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

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Measuring the Distance to the Pleiades

Measuring the Distance to the Pleiades

Diagram of the parallax technique, showing the Earth in different positions with respect to the sun at different times of years, and the subsequently different place on the sky that the Pleiades appears.

Using the parallax technique, astronomers observe object at opposite ends of Earth's orbit around the Sun to precisely measure its distance.

Credit: Alexandra Angelich (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

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