cepheid variable

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Definition of cepheid variable in English English dictionary

A radially pulsating (expanding and contracting) variable star with a regular period and known relationship between period and intrinsic brightness

One of a class of variable stars whose period of variation is closely related to its luminosity and is therefore useful in measuring the distances to clusters of stars and galaxies. Named for the prototype of this class found in the constellation Cepheus, classical Cepheids have periods from about 1.5 days to over 50 days and are Population I stars (see Populations I and II). The longer the period of such a star, the greater its natural brightness; this relationship was discovered in 1912 by the American astronomer Henrietta Leavitt (b. 1868 d. 1921)

Related Terms

cepheid variables

plural form of cepheid variable

A cepheid variable

cepheid

Hyphenation

Ce·phe·id va·ri·a·ble

Etymology

() From Cepheus, the name of the constellation in which such stars were first discovered.