A wide open space (It could be your backyard or a park.) Two Hula-Hoops (Alternatively, you could use two flat rocks or bricks that you can sit on.) A yardstick or meterstick (Use one that has clear ...

Parallax is the observed displacement of an object caused by the change of the observer's point of view. In astronomy, it is an irreplaceable tool for calculating distances of far away stars. When you ...

Astronomical units (AU), defined by the Sun-Earth distance, are used for measuring distances within solar systems. Light-years, representing the distance light travels in a year (approximately 6 ...

For the first time, astronomers have directly measured the distance to a spot clear across the galaxy. The established but challenging technique promises a new way to map the structure of the Milky ...

Exit strategy Artist’s impression of New Horizons as it flew past Pluto in 2015. (Courtesy: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute) NASA’s New Horizons ...