stellar parallax of 61 Cygni
E579590
The stellar parallax of 61 Cygni is the first successfully measured trigonometric parallax of a star, providing direct evidence of stellar distances beyond the Solar System.
Statements (40)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
astronomical measurement
ⓘ
trigonometric stellar parallax ⓘ |
| angularUnit | arcsecond ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
61 Cygni A
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
61 Cygni B NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| category | stellar distance indicator ⓘ |
| demonstrated |
applicability of geometric methods to stellar distances
ⓘ
finite distance to the stars ⓘ |
| dependsOn | Earth’s orbital motion around the Sun ⓘ |
| distanceInLightYears | about 11.4 light-years ⓘ |
| distanceInParsecs | about 3.5 parsecs ⓘ |
| evidenceFor | large scale of the Milky Way ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
19th-century astrometry
ⓘ
early empirical confirmation of stellar distances ⓘ |
| influenced |
development of precise positional astronomy
ⓘ
subsequent stellar parallax programs ⓘ |
| locatedInConstellation | Cygnus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| measuredBy | Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| measurementType | annual parallax ⓘ |
| measurementYear | 1838 ⓘ |
| methodUsed | trigonometric parallax method ⓘ |
| objectOfStudy | 61 Cygni NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| observedFrom | Earth NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| observedWith | Fraunhofer heliometer at Königsberg Observatory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| parallaxValue |
about 0.3136 arcseconds
ⓘ
about 0.314 arcseconds ⓘ |
| partOf |
history of astrometry
ⓘ
history of astronomy ⓘ |
| providesEvidenceFor |
existence of large distances between stars and the Solar System
ⓘ
heliocentric model of the Solar System ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1838 ⓘ |
| publishedBy | Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
stellar parallax of Alpha Centauri
ⓘ
stellar parallax of Vega ⓘ |
| significance |
first direct geometric distance determination to a star other than the Sun
ⓘ
first successfully measured trigonometric parallax of a star ⓘ |
| usedAsExampleIn |
astronomy education
ⓘ
textbooks on stellar distances ⓘ |
| usedIn | calibration of the cosmic distance ladder ⓘ |
| usedToDetermine | distance to 61 Cygni ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.