What was the designation given to the specific Cepheid variable star Hubble identified within the Andromeda Nebula in 1923?
Answer
V1
The critical piece of observational evidence that confirmed the Andromeda Nebula was composed of individual stars, rather than just a gas cloud, was the identification of a single pulsating star within it. Edwin Hubble meticulously examined photographic plates of the nebula and isolated one such Cepheid variable star. This specific star was later cataloged and designated V1. Finding this star proved that the nebula possessed a stellar population structured like the Milky Way, necessitating a calculation of its true, vast distance.
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