The discussion revolves around converting angular measurements from arcseconds to steradians, specifically in the context of a spherical object. Participants explore the relationship between these two units of measurement and the necessary conditions for such a conversion.
Some participants have provided insights regarding the need for knowledge about the object's shape and the context of the angular measurement. There is an ongoing exploration of how to relate the angular size in arcseconds to the solid angle in steradians, particularly for small angles.
It is noted that the object in question is spherical, and there is an assumption that the angles being discussed are very small. This context may influence the approach to determining the solid angle.
Orodruin said:You don't, not unless you know the shape of the object. An arcsecond is an angle and a steradian is a solid angle, they are different things. It is like asking how to convert a length into an area.
Since you are working with arcsecs, I assume we're discussing very small angles. If the subtended angle (of a diameter) is theta and the distance from the observer is R, what, roughly, is the visible area? Divide that by R2 and you have the steradians.Teenion said:I know its spherical object (I should have mentioned it in my first post)..
Yeah, converting is not a good word for what I want to do.. Better question would be How can I obtain the size of the spherical object in steradians if I know the angular size in arcsecs.