Cepheid variable
(ˈsiːfɪɪd) n (Astronomy) astronomy any of a class of variable stars with regular cycles of variations in luminosity (most ranging from three to fifty days). There is a relationship between the periods of variation and the absolute magnitudes, which is used for measuring the distance of such stars
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Ce′pheid var`iable
n. a variable star with a short period of 1 to 50 days in which changes in brightness are due to alternations in volume.
[1900–05;
Cephe (
us) +
-id1]
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