logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2015
2m 16s

How do astronomers measure distance?

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Since astronomers can't actually travel to a star, they rely on two ingenious methods to measure a star's distance from earth. Listen in as Marshall Brain breaks down the science of space measurement in this editor's choice podcast from HowStuffWorks.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Sep 27
What's the Difference Between Socialism and Communism?
Socialism and communism are often mentioned in the same breath, and they do share a common history, but socialists aren't necessarily communists -- and vice versa. Learn more about both concepts and how they've been put into practice in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this a ... Show More
11m 9s
Sep 26
How Do Vaccines Prevent Diseases?
Our bodies can often prevent us from catching the same illness twice, and vaccines use that bodily system to prevent us from getting sick in the first place. Learn how the immune response works, what goes into vaccines, and why vaccines are safe for kids in this episode of BrainS ... Show More
13m 39s
Sep 13
BrainStuff Classics: How Did Sealab Work?
In the 1960s, advances in technology allowed brave aquanauts to explore deeper into the ocean than ever before, but the project was shut down. Learn how Sealab worked -- and how that technology is still used today -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff.See omnystudio.com/listen ... Show More
6m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2021
How do we know the mass of stars?
Daniel talks about how astronomers can measure or deduce the mass of a star, and why it controls its fate. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
47m 16s
Jul 2013
David Munns, “A Single Sky: How an International Community Forged the Science of Radio Astronomy” (MIT Press, 2012)
How do you measure a star? In the middle of the 20thcentury, an interdisciplinary and international community of scientists began using radio waves to measure heavenly bodies and transformed astronomy as a result. David P. D. Munns‘s new book charts the process through which radi ... Show More
1h 9m
Dec 2021
Will starlink spoil astronomy?
Daniel and Jorge talk about how megaconstellations of satellites might spoil our view of the Universe. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
45m 37s
Jun 2016
How the Kepler Telescope Works
The Kepler Telescope has detected hundreds of exoplanets in our galaxy. What's the story behind it and how does it work? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
39m 39s
Dec 2010
Tycho Brahe: An Astronomer's Untimely Demise
Tycho Brahe is hailed as an influential astronomer, but why? Tune in and learn how this groundbreaking astronomer lost his nose, built the world's first observatory and met with an untimely demise in this podcast. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwo ... Show More
24m 2s
Oct 2023
History of the Andromeda Galaxy // Quartz Crystals Discovery // The Sun’s heating Process | S26E128
The Space News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 26 Episode 128 *The dramatic history of the Andromeda galaxy A new study has unveiled the violent history of our nearest neighbouring big galaxy M-31 Andromeda. *Quartz crystals discovered in clouds of hot gas giant Astronomers using NASA’ ... Show More
26m 32s
Sep 2020
How can we bring rocks back from Mars?
How many robots does it take to dig up rocks from Mars and deliver them back to Earth? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
52m 52s
Nov 2018
Goodbye, Kepler Telescope
NASA launched the Kepler telescope in 2009 to stare out into space. In October, 2018, the telescope "retired." What did we learn from it and how did it work? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio ... Show More
39m 56s