Parsecs

[Procyon]

What are the parsecs? a medition unit higher than the lightyear?

I`ve noticed that this word also appear in Asimov`s sci-fi books.

[Vanguard3000]

parsec ['pɑːˌsɛk]

noun a unit of astronomical distance equal to the distance from earth at which stellar parallax would be 1 second of arc; equivalent to 3.08571016 m or 3.262 light years

[ETYMOLOGY: 20th Century: from parallax + second2]

http://www.wordreference.com/English/definition.asp?en=parsec

I'd like to introduce you to my good friend, Google.

[Caid Ivik]

Roughly as far as second closest star to us, Proxima Centauri.

[slaphapy]

fact about pc's (parcecs) a star's luminosity is judged by how bright it would be if it were placed at 10 pc's from earth...

where's rigel, i bet he knows some stuff on this ;)

[Caid Ivik]

Rigel? It's most possibly about 910 light years (roughly 300 pc) from Sol, in former Barnard Nebula. About a middle of way between Sol and Great Orion Nebula. It's an older star, white-blue giant with temperature of about 20 000 Celsius degrees.

[King-Mega]

We have limited knowledge of what dwell's beyond our Milky Way.

:(

[Vanguard3000]

Anyway, I think Rigel is a forum member. I don't think a star would "know some stuff on this". ;)

Unless it's a Caleban!

[slaphapy]

Rigel? It's most possibly about 910 light years (roughly 300 pc) from Sol, in former Barnard Nebula. About a middle of way between Sol and Great Orion Nebula. It's an older star, white-blue giant with temperature of about 20 000 Celsius degrees.

hehe, ya i mean where is rigel6669... the forum member, I did a report on Rigel or Beta Ori or Beta Orionis or... anyway ya i know quite a bit about rigel it's a really sweet star.. it's a triple binary star!

[Vanguard3000]

You mean a ternary star? Wouldn't a triple binary be three pairs (i.e. six stars)?

[slaphapy]

erm.... well a binary star is a pair of stars that one orbits the other... a triple binary star is a star where you have a big star that has a star orbiting that.. with another star orbiting the smaller one...

doesn't really make sense with the bi- and tri- together but... i'm pretty sure that's right

[Caid Ivik]

It is? Well, it's very big star, and many giants lure smaller dwarfs closer. Like i.e. Sirius.