Launched in 2006, the space probe New Horizons for 14 years, withdrew from the Earth nearly 8 billion km Is the distance in 23 times the diameter of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The satellite was so far from home of mankind that could to see starry sky from a different angle.
The spacecraft New Horizons in the representation of the artist
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From the Earth it is impossible with the naked eye to see stellar parallax ― the apparent change in the sky the angular position of the stars. This can be seen even from the two extreme points of the Earth’s position, in which it hits, revolving around the sun. In fact, so Galilee had nothing to present of the Holy Inquisition in proof of the heliocentric theory in astronomy. For the observer the stars in the sky were like glue. To measure the change in angular position of the stars for the first time only after almost 200 years after the death of Galileo.
On the twentieth of April of this year, NASA pictures from on-Board camera New Horizons and at the same time made pictures on two earth observatories have clearly shown that the Earth still revolves around the Sun. A comparison of two images of the sky with the stars Proxima Centauri and Wolf 359 showed a significant displacement of these bodies relative to the much further stars. Proxima Centauri is from the Earth on the removal of 4.2 light years and Wolf 359 at the distance of 7.8 light-years. They are relatively close to their motion in the sky was seen from aboard New Horizons.
“It is true to say that New Horizons is looking for the alien sky, unlike what we see from the Earth”― said Alan stern (Alan Stern), principal investigator of New Horizons from southwest research Institute (SwRI) in boulder, Colorado. “And it allowed us to do something that has never happened before ― to see the next stars quite a change in a situation that we see on Earth”.
Comparison shots of the star Wolf 359 (in the center of the frame) from the Earth and aboard the New Horizons (NASA)
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Ever measurement of stellar parallax will form the basis of star navigation systems. For navigation in the Solar system uses the reference signals of the earth and near-earth space stations. But even before New Horizons such a signal is more than six hours, and for orientation in the interstellar space is not the best solution. Interstellar travelers will see a different arrangement of stars, and it will be their beacons.
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