How far away is the Sun?
Mnemorya · Astronomy & Space
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Course2 chapters · 4 levels · ~20 minBeginnerNo background needed
The sunlight on your face is eight minutes old. Four short levels on how we measured space — with a thumb, a late moon and a ship sent halfway round the world to watch a planet cross the Sun.
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What you'll learn
- Explain why we always see the Sun as it was about eight minutes ago
- Describe how parallax lets us measure distances we can't walk
- Explain that a light-year is a distance, not a time
- Explain why planets closer to the Sun have shorter years
Chapters
- Light takes timeYou know your street and your city. But how far is it to the next big house in the neighborhood — the Sun? Nobody has ever been there, and nobody has sent a tape measure. And yet we know its average distance to within a few meters.1 levels
- Measuring the skyNobody has walked to the Sun or a star. So how do we know how far they are? With a thumb, a planet crossing the Sun and a lot of patience.3 levels