How large is the universe? What is the most distant object we can see? Astronomers faced an even more difficult questions when they tried to estimate how far away the stars are. In this chapter, we be...How large is the universe? What is the most distant object we can see? Astronomers faced an even more difficult questions when they tried to estimate how far away the stars are. In this chapter, we begin with the fundamental definitions of distances on Earth and then extend our reach outward to the stars. We will also examine the newest satellites that are surveying the night sky and discuss the special types of stars that can be used as trail markers to distant galaxies.
