Star Distance Calculator
The parallax angle is the angle between the Earth at one time of year, and the Earth six months later, as measured from a nearby star. Astronomers use this angle to find the distance from the Earth to that star. A second of arc, arcsecond (arcsec), or arc second, denoted by the symbol ?, is 1/60 of an arcminute and 1/3600 of a degree.
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- Dstar is the Star Distance (parsecs)
- P is the parallax angle (arc-seconds)
1 parsec is roughly equal to 3.086 x 1016 m. A parsec is the unit for expressing distances to stars and galaxies, used by professional astronomers. It represents the distance at which the radius of Earth's orbit subtends an angle of one second of arc.