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How to measure the distance? Easy, compare the apparent size to the actual size and calculate the distance from that. Then how do you measure the actual size? E

How to measure the distance? Easy, compare the apparent size to the actual size and calculate the distance from that. Then how do you measure the actual size? Easy, multiply the apparent size by the distance!

coldtea 3y ago
>How to measure the distance? We already know the distance. About 8 light minutes away. The question of the parent comment was "how do you measure the diameter of the sun?"
- gpm 3y ago
  In the context of having just explained "this is how you get the distance from the diameter" in the broader context of "from first principles and simple technology"...
  - codeflo 3y ago
    Why did those silly 18th century physicists even bother with those sextants and complicated mathematics when they just could have looked up the answer on Wikipedia?
    - coldtea 3y ago
      Because they didn't have it. We have it. Imagine that!
- esrauch 3y ago
  The article has a whole section about how there's no way to know the distance to the sun in light-minutes to use as an input to figuring out how big it is
  - coldtea 3y ago
    I didn't reply to the article though.