Parallax

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/parallax

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary application?Measuring distances to nearby stars using Earth's orbital diameter as a baseline
2. What is the geometric relationship?Distance is inversely proportional to the parallax angle (d = 1/p)
3. Why does parallax help us see depth?Our two eyes look at the world from slightly different positions, so each eye sees a slightly different picture. Our brain combines these pictures to know how far things are.
4. How do astronomers use parallax to find how far stars are?They watch a star from opposite sides of Earth's orbit, forming a triangle. The parallax angle and the 1‑AU baseline let them calculate the star’s distance with trigonometry.

Stellar Parallax: The apparent shift in a star's position due to Earth's orbital motion around the Sun.
Stereoscopic Vision: The ability to perceive depth and distance through the integration of two slightly different visual inputs.
Astrometry: The branch of astronomy concerned with the precise measurement of the positions and movements of celestial objects.