<p>This relationship was discovered empirically by <a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henrietta_Swan_Leavitt#Periods_of_25_Variable_Stars_in_the_Small_Magellanic_Cloud_.281912.29" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Henrietta Leavitt</a> by comparing the apparent magnitudes of stars in the Magellanic clouds. Since these clouds are far away (200,000 ly) and relatively small (7,000 ly), the difference in distances to the 47 different Cephid variables she observed could account for only a small difference in brightness.  By plotting the brightness against the period she noticed that there was a relationship, cephids with longer periods were brighter.</p>

<p>As you guessed, modern measurements are made via parallax for close stars. The Hipparcos satellite compiled a vast list of parallaxes, and by measuring a large number of periods, we can calculate the <a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999A&amp;A...352..547P" rel="nofollow noreferrer">relation</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-23T15:31:38.800Z
The link to some web page about Henrietta Leavitt is dead. Any chance you can find it or at least describe it? http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/senior/astrophysics/variable_cepheids.html If all else fails, there's always https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Swan_Leavitt Or even better: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henrietta_Swan_Leavitt#Periods_of_25_Variable_Stars_in_the_Small_Magellanic_Cloud_.281912.29
uhoh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-23T15:40:49.717Z
http://www.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1908AnHar..60...87L seems to link to Henrietta Leavitt's paper in the Annals of Harvard College Observatory!  "1777 Variables in the Magellanic Clouds." http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1908AnHar..60...87L&amp;data_type=PDF_HIGH
uhoh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-16T02:15:14.887Z
2017-01-01T15:16:37.783Z
2017-01-01T15:16:37.783Z
xzackli
<p>As I understand it, beyond parallax the next way of estimating the distance to astronomical objects is by using a relationship between the period and intrinsic luminosity of Cepheid variables.  How do we know that relationship?  Are there some close enough that we used parallax to validate it, or is there a theoretical reason, or something else?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-01T21:25:31.773Z
Sorry in advance, it was a late night... An additional reason we know the brightness is that there is a specific time it takes light to travel to our eyes/sensors, and therefore we can measure the time it takes the star to go from its dimmest to it's brightest. This time gives us a $\Delta x$ distance that can be used to determine the min and max radius (of variation) which is then added to the base radius given from the spectral class and dimmest brightness of the star. Know the radius+luminosity=know brightness.
LaserYeti
<distances><cepheids>
How do we know that the intrinsic brightness of Cepheid variables corresponds to their period?
Mitchell Kaplan
# How do we know that the intrinsic brightness of Cepheid variables corresponds to their period?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-16)

As I understand it, beyond parallax the next way of estimating the distance to astronomical objects is by using a relationship between the period and intrinsic luminosity of Cepheid variables. How do we know that relationship? Are there some close enough that we used parallax to validate it, or is there a theoretical reason, or something else?

**Tags:** distances, cepheids

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Sorry in advance, it was a late night... An additional reason we know the brightness is that there is a specific time it takes light to travel to our eyes/sensors, and therefore we can measure the time it takes the star to go from its dimmest to it's brightest. This time gives us a $\Delta x$ distance that can be used to determine the min and max radius (of variation) which is then added to the base radius given from the spectral class and dimmest brightness of the star. Know the radius+luminosity=know brightness.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-12-16. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

This relationship was discovered empirically by [Henrietta Leavitt](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henrietta_Swan_Leavitt#Periods_of_25_Variable_Stars_in_the_Small_Magellanic_Cloud_.281912.29) by comparing the apparent magnitudes of stars in the Magellanic clouds. Since these clouds are far away (200,000 ly) and relatively small (7,000 ly), the difference in distances to the 47 different Cephid variables she observed could account for only a small difference in brightness. By plotting the brightness against the period she noticed that there was a relationship, cephids with longer periods were brighter.

As you guessed, modern measurements are made via parallax for close stars. The Hipparcos satellite compiled a vast list of parallaxes, and by measuring a large number of periods, we can calculate the [relation](http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999A&A...352..547P).

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: The link to some web page about Henrietta Leavitt is dead. Any chance you can find it or at least describe it? http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/senior/astrophysics/variable_cepheids.html If all else fails, there's always https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Swan_Leavitt Or even better: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henrietta_Swan_Leavitt#Periods_of_25_Variable_Stars_in_the_Small_Magellanic_Cloud_.281912.29  
> **username_3**: http://www.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1908AnHar..60...87L seems to link to Henrietta Leavitt's paper in the Annals of Harvard College Observatory!  "1777 Variables in the Magellanic Clouds." http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1908AnHar..60...87L&amp;data_type=PDF_HIGH  

---

