Date | November 2018 | Marks available | 2 | Reference code | 18N.3.SL.TZ0.11 |
Level | Standard level | Paper | Paper 3 | Time zone | 0 - no time zone |
Command term | Distinguish | Question number | 11 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
A distinctive feature of the constellation Orion is the Trapezium, an open cluster of stars within Orion.
Mintaka is one of the stars in Orion.
Distinguish between a constellation and an open cluster.
The parallax angle of Mintaka measured from Earth is 3.64 × 10–3 arc-second. Calculate, in parsec, the approximate distance of Mintaka from Earth.
State why there is a maximum distance that astronomers can measure using stellar parallax.
Markscheme
In cluster, stars are gravitationally bound OR constellation not ✔
In cluster, stars are the same/similar age OR in constellation not ✔
Stars in cluster are close in space/the same distance OR in constellation not ✔
Cluster stars appear closer in night sky than constellation ✔
Clusters originate from same gas cloud OR constellation does not ✔
d = 275 «pc» ✔
because of the difficulty of measuring very small angles ✔