Sirius,in Canis Major (the large hunting dog of Orion),is the brightest star in the winter night sky.It has a parallax angle of 0.38 seconds of arc.The brightest star in Orion's other hunting dog,Canis Minor,is Procyon,with a parallax angle of 0.29 seconds of arc.Vega,in Lyra,the Lyre (Harp),is the brightest star in the summer night sky.It has a parallax angle of 0.13 seconds of arc.Which of these stars is farthest away?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The farther away a star is, the smaller its parallax angle appears. Vega has the smallest parallax angle of the three stars, which suggests that it is the farthest away. Therefore, the answer is (C) Vega.

Sirius,in Canis Major (The Large Hunting Dog of Orion),is the Brightest