What Angle Does the Star Make with the Ecliptic?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the angle a star makes with the ecliptic based on its observed elliptical path, where the minor axis subtends an angle of 36". The elliptical motion is attributed to the parallax effect, allowing the star's distance from the Sun to be estimated. The key insight is that if the star is stationary, the Earth can be treated as stationary, leading to the conclusion that the star follows a circular path parallel to the ecliptic, which appears elliptical from our perspective.

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  • Understanding of celestial mechanics and parallax effect
  • Familiarity with elliptical geometry and angles
  • Basic knowledge of the ecliptic coordinate system
  • Ability to visualize astronomical concepts and motions
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  • Research the parallax effect in astronomy and its implications for distance measurement
  • Study the geometry of ellipses and their properties in celestial observations
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Astronomy students, astrophysics enthusiasts, and anyone interested in understanding celestial mechanics and the geometry of star movements.

Unicorn.
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Hi everybody, I really need help and it's quite an emergency..
I have this problem to do but I'm really stuck I don't know where I have to begin and I don't even understand what they're asking for:

A star in the sky is observed from Earth to describe an elliptical path whose minor axis subtends
an angle of 36". What angle does the star make with the ecliptic?
Suppose the apparent elliptical motion of part (b) were due entirely to the parallax effect.
Approximately how far away (in light years) from the sun would the star be?

Here it is ! I was trying to draw the situation but it's impossible, I'm not visualizing which angle I have to calculate and what does 36" represent exactly ? I just have the final result,but don't know how to get to it. If someone can explain and help me with a drawing it would be nice !

Thanks.
 
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Welcome to PF!

Hi Unicorn! Welcome to PF! :smile:

If the star is stationary, so that the ellipse is entirely caused by parallax,

then we can treat the Earth as stationary instead,

in which case the star must be following a circle with the same radius as the Earth's orbit, and parallel to the ecliptic …

that's the circle which (because we don't see it head-on) looks like the ellipse described in the question :wink:
 

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