We look up in the night sky and see the constellation Orion. How are the positions of the stars as we see them related to their actual position to each other in space?
A) From Earth we view them as beside each other, and they are close to each other in space.
B) From Earth we view them as beside each other, but they may not be close to each other in space.
C) The stars are of the same chemical composition so we know that they are beside each other in space.
D) The stars all shine in the one direction toward us and they are not seen from the other side of space.
2007-06-25 11:56:21 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
the answer is b
2007-06-25 12:11:58 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. Eddie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's B - although we see groups of stars as close enough in the night sky to form the constellations, the stars themselves may be very far away from each other. A good example is the in the Big Dipper - the middle star of the handle is actually *3* stars, but one is very close, the other is about 20 times farther away, yet from our point of view, they're practically touching.
2007-06-25 13:50:14 · answer #2 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
B is the correct answer. Since some of the stars may be larger than others , even though they are in the same direction, they may be light years apart. suppose that you look out over an ocean and in the same direction you see a rowboat colse to you but in the same direction just slightly to the left or right you see an ocean liner that is near the horizon. They appear to be next to each other, but your intelligence tells you that the ocean liner is not next ot the rowboat, because if it was then it would appear hundreds of times larger. Same idea s your question about star position
2007-06-25 12:04:38 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi. B. The stars just appear to be in line like ships lights on the horizon. They may be closer or further but they still line up. (I assume you mean the 'Orion's Belt'. Some of the stars such as Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, etc have vastly different makeups and temperatures. The appear about the same brightness and therefore the same distance, at least to our eyes.)
2007-06-25 12:00:21 · answer #4 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is B, you can not tell how far away each one is !
2007-06-25 12:00:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
b
2007-06-25 12:03:48 · answer #6 · answered by nintendog10 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋