Can the Hubble Telescope measure the distance of stars using parallax?

Question

....and if so, to what distance can it reasonably measure? I ask because the book I have from 3 decades ago says that earthbound measurements are only good to about 50 somethings (but I can't find the page so dunno 50 what- oops)

Answer 1

Here's one answer:

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The resolving power:
* From the ground best measurements are to about 0.01" so the maximum distance prior to HST is 100 pc.
* Even with HST resolution is only 10 times better, so 1000 pc."
http://www.physics.montana.edu/classes/311teter/MeasuringStars/parallax.htm

So, stellar parallax can be used to about 100 parsecs from the ground and about 1000 parsecs from the Hubble.

JMB

Answer 2

I would have to say that, Yes, the Hubble can measure the distance of stars using parallax. The Hubble telescope is a stationary telescope and does not "orbit" the Earth...but is rather "carried" by the Earth as it makes its yearly orbit around the Sun. As the Earth revolves around the Sun (taking the Hubble with it), The nearer stars show a small yearly shift against the background of more distant stars. The "radius" of the Earth's orbit (one Astronomical Unit) is the base-line used in measuring the amount of this shift, termed as the star's "parallax". Distances less than 30 light years may be determined with good accuracy by the direct parallax method and with fair reliability out to about 100 light years. At 300 light years, the probable error of the measurement nearly equals the size of the parallax; and at greater distances the method becomes virtually useless, and more direct methods must be used. I'm not sure what the "50" is, unless it speaking about "light-years". The distance of very remote objects may be determined if, in some way, their actual luminosities can be learned. The comparison of the "apparent" and "absolute" magnitudes (the distance modulus) then gives the distance. This is the "spectroscopic parallax" method, in which the intrinsic luminosity of the star is determined from various spectroscopic features. For extreme remote objects, various stars of known high luminosity may be used as distance indicators, super-giant stars, novae, etc. Finally, there are the remarkable "pulsating variable stars" called "Cepheids" whose periods are proportional to their luminosities; these are the often called the "measuring sticks of the Universe".

Answer 3

Yes. Actually, it is not too much better at that than are earthbound telescopes. I do not know the exact figures, but parallax of 186 million miles divided by distance of 5.8 trillion miles (one light year) is about 32 micro-radians, so any star photo which shows a relaive motion of one microradian or more will give a decent number up to 32 light years distant.

Answer 4

I'm sure it could, but I don't know that it is used for that purpose. The Hipparcos satellite, launched by the European Space Agency in 1989, was sent into space to collect stellar parallax data. With that data, scientists determined the distances to 2.5 million of the nearest stars up to 150 parsecs (500 ligh-years) away. As of a few years ago, there were other space craft proposed to get even better parallax data: FAME, SIM, and GAIA. I'm not sure what their status is now, but I'm sure you could find out with a quick search.

Answer 5

Actually, there was a probe a few years back called Hipparchos that specifically did paralax measurements. The errors were on the order of milli-arc seconds. This gives accurate distances to a few hundred light years and less accurate distances even past that.

http://www.rssd.esa.int/Hipparcos/hipparcos.html

Answer 6

no it cant!!! dont belive any s h i t they put on thier web site....theyre after government grants...but its old hippy technology...a few credence clearwater munchers, left on a hill with an expensive telescope.Theyre talking ganja s h it thayve nothing else to do at night, save look for aliens....theyde land in the car lot by it an say allo before the hippie galaxy watchers noticed!

Answer 7

yes

Answer 8

of course they can dumb a-s-s...what kind of cave-man are u?...u disgust me....I spit on you....