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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
 Posted - 03/13/2008 : 06:17:27 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
The highest resolution a Hubble instrument has is 0.03 arcsec, and a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B at 0.8 AU would seem to be (roughly calculating from the top of my head) 0.5 arcsec from the star. That would be 16 pixels apart. |
Distance from Sun to Alpha Centauri: 276,265.82 AU
Since we have opposite and adjacent side lengths, the tangent of the angle is 2.896×10-6, so the angle is 1.659×10-4 degrees...
...or 0.59 arcseconds. So nearly 20 pixels. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
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Why not question something for a change?
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 11:55:28 [Permalink]
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Goddam, that wasn't bad for a guesstimate from the top of my head.
Actually, I was reasoning like this:
The distance is about 30% longer than a Parsec, which is defined as the distance where an AU is 1 arcsec. Second, the orbit would be .7-.8 AU for the star. So the angle would appear smaller because of extra distance 30% from ~.8 of an arcsec...
Then, because the planet plane of orbit is offset from our view-point, shave the number off a bit. 
Edit: changed planet to star. |
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| Edited by - Dr. Mabuse on 03/13/2008 11:56:42 |
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Theoretically, Alpha Centauri should have planets?
