Question

Astronomers use light years and astronomical units to measure distance because objects in space are so far away that using units like miles or kilometers are impractical due to the numbers being too large. With light years and astronomical units it allows astronomers to simplify numbers to express distance and use a unit of measurement that reflects the distance of which they are measuring. Astronomical units are used to measure the distance between objects in our solar system. However, outside of our solar system astronomical units are too small of a unit of measurement to measure the distance between objects in space. Instead, light-years are used because it is a larger unit of measurement than astronomical units and simplifies the need for large numbers.

a. True
b. False

Answer 1

Astronomical units are used within our solar system, while light-years are used to describe much larger distances outside the solar system, making the statement true.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement is true. Astronomers use the unit of astronomical units (AU) to measure distances within our solar system, with one AU being the average distance from Earth to the Sun. When dealing with distances outside our solar system, astronomers use light-years, which is the distance light travels in one year. This is because light-years are a much larger unit of measurement, making them more suitable for the incredibly vast distances between stars and galaxies. It's worth noting that the light of a star seen from Earth is actually from the past, seeing the star as it was when the light started traveling towards us.