Process of Science: Describe how scientists measure the distances ...

[jon_i]

Process of Science: Describe how scientists measure the distances to galaxies, starting with how they measure the distances of the nearest stars.
 
  Be sure to include enough detail so that someone who does not know the jargon of astronomy can still understand your explanation.

Question 2

How old is the Galaxy? How do we know this?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[Jayson]

Answer to Question 1

They use parallax to get the distance to nearby stars and then use standard candles to measure farther distances.

Answer to Question 2

The H-R diagrams of the globular clusters in the halo suggest they are 10-12 billion years old; their spherical distribution suggests they formed very early, before rotation had flattened the rest of the Galaxy out into a disk.