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Erenjaeger
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what is this unit, ⊕ ?? was reading an astrophysics book and came across it. "Gas Giant planets (>10 M⊕)" I am guessing that its mega something?
Erenjaeger said:what is this unit, ⊕ ?? was reading an astrophysics book and came across it. "Gas Giant planets (>10 M⊕)" I am guessing that its mega something?
Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy that focuses on the physical and chemical properties of celestial objects and the processes that govern them.
The most commonly used units in astrophysics are astronomical units (AU), light years (ly), and parsecs (pc). These units are used to measure distances between celestial objects.
An astronomical unit is a unit of distance equal to the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, which is approximately 149.6 million kilometers. A light year, on the other hand, is a unit of distance equal to the distance that light travels in one year, which is approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers.
The distance between celestial objects is often measured using a technique called parallax. This involves observing an object from two different positions and using the difference in the object's apparent position to calculate its distance.
Using specific units in astrophysics allows for more accurate and precise measurements, which are essential in understanding the vast distances and sizes of celestial objects. It also allows for easier comparisons between different objects and systems in the universe.