Astro 11
Lab 6

• In this lab, you will learn about one of the only direct measurements of distance in astronomy.


• You will need a calculator capable of performing the tangent (tan) function. Don't forget your calculator.
  
  
• Make sure your calculator is set to degrees, and not to radians. Otherwise, your calculations will be wrong.


• The parallax formula is clearly the most important concept of the lab. In your summary, be sure to cover its geometric basis, as well as how it is adapted for use by astronomers. Why is it such an important technique in astronomy?