The star Wolf 1061 has a parallax of 2.34 arcseconds, while the star Ross 652 has a parallaxof 1.70 arcseconds. What can you correctly conclude?
A)Both stars are outside the Milky Way Galaxy.
B)Wolf 1061 must have a larger proper motion than Ross 652.
C)Ross 652 must have a larger proper motion than Wolf 1061.
D)Ross 652 is closer to Earth than Wolf 1061.
E)Wolf 1061 is closer to Earth than Ross 652.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The closer a star is to Earth, the larger its parallax angle will be. Since Wolf 1061 has a larger parallax angle compared to Ross 652, it must be closer to Earth. Therefore, the correct choice is E, "Wolf 1061 is closer to Earth than Ross 652." The parallax of a star is inversely proportional to its distance from Earth. Therefore, the star with the larger parallax (Wolf 1061 with 2.34 arcseconds) is closer to Earth than the star with the smaller parallax (Ross 652 with 1.70 arcseconds).

The Star Wolf 1061 Has a Parallax of 2