<p>In short, it can tell you <strong>a lot</strong> of stuff. You could identify (probably) the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Type of star E.g. a light curve of a eclipsing binary system</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/VhlS7.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/VhlS7.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>Light curve of supernova:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Hb26j.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Hb26j.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>Not only that you can also identify the <strong>radius</strong> (thereafter volume), <strong>size</strong> of the planet, and the orbital period by measuring the elapsed time between transits.</p>
<p>You can identify quite a bit of information. Given you find orbital period, radius etc., you can use this information to find other information too. So it keeps branching!</p>
<p><a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/310/orbits-and-keplers-laws/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Note</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Kepler's Third Law: the squares of the orbital periods of the planets are directly proportional to the cubes of the semi-major axes of their orbits. Kepler's Third Law implies that the period for a planet to orbit the Sun increases rapidly with the radius of its orbit.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>References:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/timing1.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/timing1.html</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-23T14:41:11.363Z
2022-09-23T14:41:11.363Z
DialFrost
<p>If I have enough data of a variable star to make a light curve for it's whole period, and If I  fit a function to that light curve, can that fitted function tell me anything about the properties of the star?</p>
<p>If so, is it different for different types of stars?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-23T02:30:10.870Z
It can tell you a lot.  This intro video on light curve analysis will probably be of some help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQrGrEu98wc
Greg Miller
<data-analysis><light-curve><variable-star><cepheids><dwarf-star>
What does a fitted curve for the period of a variable star, tell me about the star?
Zachary Kennedy
# What does a fitted curve for the period of a variable star, tell me about the star?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-23)

If I have enough data of a variable star to make a light curve for it's whole period, and If I fit a function to that light curve, can that fitted function tell me anything about the properties of the star?

If so, is it different for different types of stars?

**Tags:** data-analysis, light-curve, variable-star, cepheids, dwarf-star

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It can tell you a lot.  This intro video on light curve analysis will probably be of some help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQrGrEu98wc  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-09-23. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

In short, it can tell you **a lot** of stuff. You could identify (probably) the following:

* Type of star E.g. a light curve of a eclipsing binary system

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/VhlS7.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/VhlS7.png)

Light curve of supernova:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Hb26j.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/Hb26j.png)

Not only that you can also identify the **radius** (thereafter volume), **size** of the planet, and the orbital period by measuring the elapsed time between transits.

You can identify quite a bit of information. Given you find orbital period, radius etc., you can use this information to find other information too. So it keeps branching!

[Note](https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/310/orbits-and-keplers-laws/):

> Kepler's Third Law: the squares of the orbital periods of the planets are directly proportional to the cubes of the semi-major axes of their orbits. Kepler's Third Law implies that the period for a planet to orbit the Sun increases rapidly with the radius of its orbit.

References:

* <https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/timing1.html>


---

