What characteristic of Cepheid variables did Henrietta Swan Leavitt discover creates a usable standard candle?
Answer
Relationship between pulsation period and true luminosity
Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovered a direct, consistent relationship between the period of a Cepheid variable star's pulsation and its true luminosity (absolute magnitude), which allows astronomers to determine its intrinsic brightness.
#Videos
How Scientists Measure The Distance To Stars and Galaxies
Related Questions
What method is used to measure distances to objects within about a thousand parsecs based on direct geometry?What physical quantity anchors the actual scale of parallax measurements?If an object's true brightness (M) and apparent brightness (m) are known, what law determines the distance (d)?For nearby galaxies like Andromeda, which standard candle is primarily utilized?What characteristic of Cepheid variables did Henrietta Swan Leavitt discover creates a usable standard candle?What consequence arose from Walter Baade's identification of different types of Cepheids?Which technique measures distance by analyzing the statistical fluctuation or "bumpiness" in the light profile of a whole galaxy?What fundamental law relates a distant galaxy's recessional velocity ($v$) to its distance ($d$)?How is the recessional velocity ($v$) calculated using the observed spectral shift ($z$)?What astronomical limit must a white dwarf approach to trigger a Type Ia Supernova explosion?