This page discusses variable stars, which exhibit brightness changes due to intrinsic characteristics rather than eclipses, numbering over 150,000. These changes vary in magnitude and duration and are...This page discusses variable stars, which exhibit brightness changes due to intrinsic characteristics rather than eclipses, numbering over 150,000. These changes vary in magnitude and duration and are classified into two main types: Pulsating Variables, which expand and contract, and Cataclysmic Variables. A significant subgroup of pulsating variables is Cepheid Variables.
Key to observing the consequences of this expansion is the ability to measure distances to things that are very far away. Here we cover the basics of how that is done. We have to do it in steps, getti...Key to observing the consequences of this expansion is the ability to measure distances to things that are very far away. Here we cover the basics of how that is done. We have to do it in steps, getting distances to nearby objects and then using those objects to calibrate other objects that can be used to get to even further distances. We refer to this sequence of distance determinations as the distance ladder.
