What methods are used to measure cosmic distances?

AI Thread Summary
Astronomers utilize various methods to measure cosmic distances, collectively known as the cosmic distance ladder, which is essential for determining distances up to billions of light-years. Different techniques are applied depending on the scale of the distance, ranging from parallax for nearby stars to redshift measurements for far-off galaxies. The discussion highlights a specific article that is criticized for its misleading title, as the observations align with established theoretical physics despite some disagreement with new physics proposals. The consensus is that while many modifications to physics exist, only a few can be correct. Accurate distance measurement remains crucial for understanding the universe's structure and expansion.
Astronomy news on Phys.org
With various method for different distance scales -> cosmic distance ladder

The title of the space.com article is very misleading. The observations are perfectly in agreement with theoretical physics. They might disagree with some specific proposal for new physics. So what? There are so many proposed modifications of physics, most of them have to be wrong.
 

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