BANGALORE: Astronomers from University of Cambridge have developed a new, highly accurate method of measuring distances between stars.

The team developed a novel method to determine distances between stars by relying on stellar "twins" - two stars with identical spectra.

Using a set of around 600 stars for which high-resolution spectra are available, the researchers found 175 pairs of twins.

The method can be used to measure the size of the galaxy, enabling greater understanding of how it evolved.

"Determining distances is a key problem in astronomy because unless we know how far away a star or group of stars is, it is impossible to know the size of the galaxy or understand how it formed and evolved," explained Dr Paula Jofre Pfeil from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy

and the paper's lead author.

"Every time we make an accurate distance measurement, we take another step on the cosmic distance ladder," he added.

The technique could be a valuable complement to the Gaia satellite - which is creating a three-dimensional map of the sky over five years - and could aid in the understanding of fundamental astrophysical processes at work in the furthest reaches of our galaxy.

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