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    When you are driving in a car at night and gaze at the sky, why does it seem that the moon is following you around?

    Question #116770. Asked by star_gazer. (Aug 15 10 11:26 PM)


    star_gazer

    		Parallax is an apparent displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek ðáñÜëëáîéò (parallaxis), meaning "alteration". Nearby objects have a larger parallax than more distant objects when observed from different positions, so parallax can be used to determine distances. Astronomers use the principle of parallax to measure distances to objects (typically stars) beyond the Solar System. The Hipparcos satellite has taken these measurements for over 100,000 nearby stars. This provides the basis for all other distance measurements in astronomy, the cosmic distance ladder. Here, the term "parallax" is the angle or semi-angle of inclination between two sightlines to the star.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax

    Aug 16 10, 8:25 PM

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