Final answer:
To determine the circumference of the planet without further observations, you can use the information about the movement of the stars. By traveling from a pole to the equator, which is a quarter of the circumference, you can multiply the distance traveled by 4 to find the circumference of the planet.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the circumference of the planet without any further observations, we can use the information provided about the movement of the stars. When the stars circle parallel to the horizon, it indicates that you are near one of the planet's poles. When you walk in a constant direction for 8000 miles and find that the stars rise straight up in the east and set straight down in the west, it indicates that you are at the planet's equator. By traveling from the pole to the equator, you have traveled one-fourth of the planet's circumference, so you can multiply the distance you traveled by 4 to determine the circumference of the planet.
In this case, you walked 8000 miles, so the circumference would be 8000 miles x 4 = 32,000 miles.