By calculating the distance of a star to the Sun, astronomers can calculate the distance from Earth to the star.
- [tex]\displaystyle \mathrm{The \ \mathbf{expression} \ to \ calculate \ \mathit{d} \ for \ any \ \mathbf{star} \ is; \ \underline{d \ is \ \frac{1 \, AU}{tan(\theta)}}}[/tex]
Reasons
The given parameters are;
The distance from the star to the Sun = d
The angle formed by the ray to the Sun and the ray to Earth from the star, θ = 0.00001389 degrees
The average distance from Earth to the Sun = 1 AU
By trigonometric ratios, we have;
[tex]\displaystyle tan(\theta) = \mathbf{\frac{Opposite}{Adjacent}}[/tex]
Therefore;
[tex]\displaystyle tan(\theta) = \frac{1}{d}[/tex]
The expression to calculate for d for any star is therefore;
- [tex]\displaystyle \underline{ d \ is \ \frac{1 \, AU}{tan(\theta) }}[/tex]
The angle given for θ for the referenced star is θ = 0.00001389
Therefore;
[tex]\displaystyle d = \frac{1 \, AU}{tan(0.00001389^{\circ}) } \approx 4,124,966.13 \, AU[/tex]
Learn more about trigonometric ratio here:
https://brainly.com/question/14421002
https://brainly.com/question/8514165