Noun: cepheid variable
- (astronomy) a radially pulsating (expanding and contracting) variable star with a regular period, having a known relationship between period and intrinsic luminosity; measurements of the period and observed brightness allow the distance to be inferred
"The distance ladder was built up over several stages first using parallax measurements and then cepheid variables";
- cepheid
Derived forms: cepheid variables
Type of: variable, variable star
Encyclopedia: Cepheid variable