Question:

Astronomers use degrees, minutes, and seconds to measure

Last updated: 8/4/2022

Astronomers use degrees, minutes, and seconds to measure

Astronomers use degrees, minutes, and seconds to measure sizes and distances in the sky along an arc from the horizon to the zenith point directly overhead. An adult observer on Earth can judge distances in the sky using their hand at arm's length. An outstretched hand will be about 20 arc degrees wide from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. A clenched fist at arm's length measures about 10 arc degrees, and a thumb corresponds to about 2 arc degrees. The apparent size of a passing comet is about 72 arc minutes. What part of an adult's thumb would cover the comet? _______ of their thumb (Type an integer or a simplified fraction.) If 8 outstretched hands plus a fist cover the distance between two bright stars, about how far apart in arc degrees are the stars? _______ arc degrees