Question

1. assume you calculate the parallax of the star aldebaran by using a photograph. the parallax happens to be 0.05 arc seconds (1/20 of an arc second). what is its distance in parsecs (pc) and in light years (ly)? use the equation......dist (in pc) = 1/p (where p = parallax in arc sec)

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the given parallax value

The parallax $p = 0.05$ arc - seconds.

Step2: Use the distance - parallax formula

The formula for distance $D$ (in parsecs) in terms of parallax $p$ (in arc - seconds) is $D=\frac{1}{p}$.
Substitute $p = 0.05$ into the formula: $D=\frac{1}{0.05}$.

Step3: Calculate the distance in parsecs

$D=\frac{1}{0.05}=20$ parsecs.
To convert parsecs to light - years, we know that 1 parsec $\approx3.26$ light - years.
So the distance in light - years $ly=D\times3.26$.
Substitute $D = 20$ into the formula: $ly = 20\times3.26=65.2$ light - years.

Answer:

The distance of the star is 20 parsecs or 65.2 light - years.