Stars and Galaxies
Research the distances of the following objects from the sun. Fill in the table and create a logarithmic plot that has these objects plotted on it and labeled. (Note: Find the distances in meters and express them in scientific notation before taking the logarithms of the distances. Also, 1 light-year = 9.46 × 1012 km.)
Logs of Distances to Selected Stars and Close Galaxies
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Star or other Milky Way object
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Distance from the sun (m)
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Log10(Distance from the sun)
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Alpha Centauri
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4.16 × 1016
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Sirius (Canis Major)
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Vega (Lyra)
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Orion Nebula (M42)
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Center of Milky Way
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Galaxy
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Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)
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Andromeda (M31)
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Sombrero Galaxy (M104)
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A1689-zD1
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HCM 6A
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The Large Magellanic Cloud is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. M31 is the nearest galaxy that is not associated with the Milky Way. A1689-zD1 and HCM 6A are the farthest known galaxies at this time.
1. Show your data table and graph.
2. Approximately how many times farther from the sun is HCM 6A than Pluto?