DISTANCE MEASUREMENT

IN SPACE
 CONTENT

• Astronomical unit
• Light year
• Sun
 ASTRONOMICAL UNIT

• The astronomical unit (AU) is defined as the average distance

between the Earth and the Sun.
• The path of Earth around the Sun is not spherical but elliptical.
APHELION
• During winter, sun and Earth are farthest apart and this position is known as
aphelion. At this position, the distance between sun and earth remains
around 15,21,00,000 km.
PERIHELION
• During summer, distance between sun and earth is smallest. This position is
called perihelion. At this position, distance between earth and sun is
14,70,95,000 km.
And
The average distance between Earth and Sun can be found by
=
=149,597,500km
And this is called astronomical unit.
1AU  150 million km
• Distance between sun and planet or distance between different
planets are measured in astronomical unit e.g., the distance of
Neptune from sun is 30 AU. If we compute distance between alpha
centauri (Proxima centauri) and our sun is 2,68,770 AU
(4,06,80,00,00,00,000km).
 LIGHT YEAR
• Distance travelled by light in vacuum in one year.
Calculation of 1 light year
S = vt
v = c = 3m/s
t = 365.25
t = 31,557,600s
S = vt
S = 3m/s 31,557,600s
S = 9,467,280, 000,000,000m
• 1Ly= 9.461 meters
• Distance b/w sun and Proxima centauri is 4.24 light years.
• Diameter of our milky way is 105700 Ly.
• Diameter of observable universe is 930,160,000 Ly.
 SUN
• The Sun is a medium-sized star which consists mainly of hydrogen and
helium. The radiant energy it emits is mostly in the infrared, visible and
ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• This radiation is emitted from glowing hydrogen which is heated by the
energy released in nuclear reactions within the Sun.
• Stars are powered by nuclear reactions. Stable stars such as our Sun are
hot and dense enough in their centre (core) for nuclear fusion of
hydrogen into helium to occur.
• Diameter of the sun is 1,391,940km.
• Mass of the sun is 1.989kg or 330,000 times than Earth.
• Sun is comprised of 74%, 24% He and 2% other elements.
• Temperature of the core of the sun is 15 million and at the surface of sun is 5500.
• Sun has very large and active magnetic field.
• Sun’s rays reach earth surface in 8mins and 20 secs.