BRAINCAKEStandard Candles
Parallax only works for relatively nearby stars. For more distant objects astronomers use standard candles: astronomical objects whose luminosity is known.
If L is known, measuring the intensity I received at Earth gives the distance by rearranging the inverse square law, I = L/4πd2:
d = √(L ÷ 4πI)
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Key terms in this lesson
- distance ladder
- The set of overlapping methods, each calibrated using a shorter-range technique, that astronomers use together to measure distances across the universe.
More in Space
- Formation of a Star
- Life Cycle of a Star
- White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars and Black Holes
- Trigonometric Parallax
- The Doppler Effect and Red Shift
- Hubble's Law
- The Age of the Universe
- The Expanding Universe
All 18 lessons in Space · All Edexcel A-level Physics topics