Surveying Outer Space (UMAP)

A unit that applies trigonometry to astronomy. This module demonstrates how trigonometry can be used to determine the earth's radius, the distance from the earth to the moon, the distance from the earth to the sun, the orbits of Venus and Mars, and the distance to Alpha Centauri.

Table of Contents:

1. INTRODUCTION

2. THE RADIUS OF THE EARTH

3. THE DISTANCE FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON

4. THE ORBIT OF VENUS

ADDENDUM: ELLIPSES

5. THE ORBIT OF MARS

6. PARALLAX MEASUREMENTS

7. SUMMARY

8. MODEL EXAM

9. ANSWERS TO THE EXERCISES

10. ANSWERS TO THE MODEL EXAM

REFERENCES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR