measuring the stars (part iii). the “cosmic distance ladder”

Measuring the Stars(Part III)

The “Cosmic Distance Ladder”

Visual“Parallax”

“Binocular Vision”… Let’s us “see” 3D images (depth)

…but, how to do this to get Astronomical Distances?

“Stellar Parallax”… Using Earth’s Orbit as a “Baseline”!

“Standard Candles” as Distance Indicators... :

𝐹𝑙𝑢𝑥∝𝐿𝑢𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒2

(Measured)(Known,

“Standard Candle”!)

( Can now be Calculated !)

Main Sequence Stars as

Standard Candles!

(Both K-type!)

But how to tell apart Main Sequence stars from non-Main-Seq. stars, for Spectroscopic Parallax…?

Small, Dense (Main Seq.) stars have broader Spectral Lines than “puffy” Giant stars… :

Turning “Variable Stars”into Standard Candles for finding distances... :

Cepheid “Period-Luminosity Relationship”

If () now known This Rotating Galaxy is a Standard Candle!

Faster Rotation More Gravity More Mass More Light (…we assume…!)

White Dwarfs (w/companions) always blow up (“Type Ia Supernova”) at the Chandrasekhar Mass (M = 1.4 x MSun):

…Standard Explosion Standard Luminosity Standard Candle!

Know Distance to a Supernova Know Distance to its Host Galaxy

Can “Map” the Cosmic Large-Scale (Galactic) Structure!

Brighter Supernovae glow longer than dimmer Supernovae…

Since 1995, Type Ia Supernovae now have very well known Luminosities… Even better Standard Candles!

1998: Type Ia Supernova Standard Candle data proved that the Expansion Rate of the Universe is Accelerating!

2011

“Hubble’s Law”:V = H0 x D

(Velocity = Hubble’s Constant x Distance)

Other Galaxies all Doppler Redshifted… Expanding Universe makes them recede from us!

Cosmic Distance Mapping the Universe?? Ladder

Cosmic Distance Ladder Mapping the Universe!