How does increasing the baseline affect parallax?

The correct answer, indicating that parallax increases with a larger baseline, is rooted in the geometry of observation. Parallax refers to the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from two different locations. The bigger the distance between those two locations — known as the baseline — the more significant the shift in the object's position will appear.

When you increase the baseline, you're effectively widening the gap between two observation points. This magnification enhances your ability to detect changes in perspective. In simple terms, for a distant object, the angle of apparent shift becomes more pronounced as the observer moves further apart. This principle is crucial in both astronomy and various scientific applications for measuring distances and understanding spatial relationships.

Considering other options, if the baseline were to decrease or remain unchanged, the observable parallax would not become more prominent, and in extreme cases of a very small baseline, the parallax could become negligible. Thus, the increase in baseline heightens the parallax effect, allowing for better measurement capabilities.