Light Years: Subjectivity and Distance Measurement

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SUMMARY

The discussion clarifies that a light year is defined as the distance light travels in one year, independent of visibility. Participants emphasize that visibility does not influence the measurement of distance in light years, as the speed of light in a vacuum remains constant. Various techniques exist for measuring astronomical distances, which are detailed in the provided links. The conversation addresses misconceptions about the relationship between visibility and distance measurement in astronomy.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic astrophysics concepts, including light years.
  • Familiarity with the speed of light in a vacuum.
  • Knowledge of distance measurement techniques in astronomy.
  • Basic comprehension of visibility and its limitations in scientific measurements.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the methods of measuring astronomical distances, such as parallax and standard candles.
  • Explore the concept of the speed of light and its implications in physics.
  • Learn about the differences between apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude in astronomy.
  • Investigate the use of laser ranging for distance measurement in space.
USEFUL FOR

Astronomy enthusiasts, physics students, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the principles of distance measurement in space and the concept of light years.

neugie92
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Light years-I just don't understand how something as subjective as visibilty, is used as a major indicator of distance. Isnt that subjective. What if some species had a million times the eye power than us humans, wouldn't they view the distance of let's say stars very differently because it wouldn't be as many 'light years' away from them.

Maybe I'm confused about how light years are actually measured, it just seems like using somethings visiblity to us, is a poor way to try to figure out actual distance.

Thoughts?
 
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A light year is the distance that light travels in a year. It has nothing to do with visibility.
 


mathman said:
A light year is the distance that light travels in a year. It has nothing to do with visibility.

but to meaure the distance traveled we base it on an increase or decrease in visibility? am I wrong?
 


There is no relation to visibility.

A light year is the distance light travels in one year. As the speed of light in vacuum is constant, this length is constant, too. It does not matter how good some eyes are.Edit: Looks like two topics got merged, as I posted the other replys were not in the thread.
 
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neugie92 said:
but to meaure the distance traveled we base it on an increase or decrease in visibility? am I wrong?

Yes, you are wrong. I can turn on a laser beam and bounce it off of a mirror at a known distance from me to measure the speed of light. Then, knowing this speed, I just multiply it out and the resulting distance is 1 light-year. It has nothing to do with visibility. The laser could be a bazillion watts or 1 microwatt, it does not matter as that does not affect the speed of the beam.

Maybe you are confused over how we measure the distance to objects in space. There are a variety of methods, and Jimmy's links go over some of them.
 

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