Crash Course Astronomy: Distances (11:20)
Key Ideas
As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
Key Ideas
Think about the following questions as you watch the video
- 01:58 What enabled Eratosthenes to calculate the different kinds of shadows the Sun cast at noon during the summer solstice?
- 02:55 What distances does knowing the Earth’s circumference help us calculate?
- 03:57 What distance is the astronomical unit based upon?
- 04:54 Why did scientists use radio telescopes to bounce radar pulses off of Venus?
- 06:16 What does having two eyes enable us to do, regarding distances?
- 07:05 What does the Earth’s orbit have to do with calculating distances to stars?
- 08:46 Why do we use measurements like light-years and parsecs?
- 09:46 What does spectroscopy—measuring the brightness of a star—have to do with distance?