ManifestDragon Posted February 26, 2018 Posted February 26, 2018 What I mean is how did scientists figure out the width of our galaxy (in light-years) or how far away Proxima Centauri is? Thanks.
beecee Posted February 26, 2018 Posted February 26, 2018 17 minutes ago, ManifestDragon said: What I mean is how did scientists figure out the width of our galaxy (in light-years) or how far away Proxima Centauri is? Thanks. Measuring distances to stars is simple....stellar parallax. Measure its position tonight, then again in 6 months time. More distant objects such as galaxies are measured using Ceipeid Variables and type 1a Supernova, which are at a known brightness.
Janus Posted February 26, 2018 Posted February 26, 2018 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_distance_ladder
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