Final answer:
Measuring the distance to distant stars is a complex task that involves the use of triangulation and the parallax method. Distances are measured in light-years and parsecs, with the closest star being over 1 parsec away. These measurements have a certain percentage of error.
Step-by-step explanation:
Measuring the distance to distant stars is a complex task.
One method used is triangulation, also known as the parallax method. Astronomers use the Earth's annual motion around the Sun to create a baseline and measure the shift in a star's position relative to distant background stars.
This shift, called parallax, can be used to calculate the distance of the star.
Distances to stars are measured in units like light-years and parsecs. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, and a parsec is the distance of a star with a parallax of 1 arcsecond (1 parsec = 3.26 light-years).
The closest star to us, a red dwarf, is over 1 parsec away.
It's important to note that the methods we use to measure these distances have a certain percentage of error.
This means that the distance measurements are accurate only within a certain range of uncertainty.