Crash Course Astronomy: Distances
Crash Course Astronomy: Distances
This Crash Course video on astronomy and measuring great distances covers a lot—and Phil goes pretty fast—so pause when necessary!
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?