Parallax is the change in view, on in perspective, when viewing things from two different places. At its smallest effect, we see parallax when we stand still and look a a nearby object with the right eye, and then with the left eye. The nearby object seems to jump just a little when compared to the more distant background.
With stars, we take a slightly longer view. Photograph an area of the sky in January or March, and then again six months later. The radius of the Earth's orbit is 93 million miles, so this gives us a point of separation of 186 million miles. When we do this, we can see nearby stars appear to jump, when compared to the very distant stars; this allows us to calculate the distances to the "nearby" stars; those within about 500 light years away.
When we measure the "jump", we're measuring tiny distances of arc. An object far enough away to display one arc-second (one 60th of a minute, which is 1/60th of a degree) of difference when viewed from opposite sides of the Earth's orbit is said to be "one PARallax-SECond of distance" away, or one PARSEC. This is about 3.26 light-years away.
Doug Fany answer: Parallax
stellar parallax
For nearby stars, the parallax method gives the most accurate measure of distances.For nearby stars, the parallax method gives the most accurate measure of distances.For nearby stars, the parallax method gives the most accurate measure of distances.For nearby stars, the parallax method gives the most accurate measure of distances.
Parallax is a method used to find the distances of stars.
false.
parallax
the stars nearest Earth
Ptolemy had no way to detect or measure the parallax of stars, and was completely unaware of it. So the lack of any explanation was no problem.
Parallax
parallax
Stellar parallax
The parallax should get smaller and harder to notice although in astronomy there are techniques used to find the parallax of stars by using the Earth's position around the sun to find the distance of the stars.