Chitral Astronomical Society

Chitral Astronomical Society

Skies over the Hindu Kush

Encyclopedia

Star

Cepheid Variable

A pulsating star that measures cosmic distance.

Luminous yellow giants/supergiants pulsating with a strict period–luminosity relation, used as standard candles to measure distances to galaxies.

Overview

Luminous yellow giants/supergiants pulsating with a strict period–luminosity relation, used as standard candles to measure distances to galaxies.

See also

RR Lyrae Variable

An old pulsating star used as a standard candle.

Sirius

The brightest star in the night sky.

Polaris

The North Star — the sky's pivot.

Betelgeuse

A doomed red supergiant in Orion.

Vega

The summer beacon, future pole star.

The Sun

Our local star — the engine of the Solar System.