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How can astronomers use variable stars to find distance?

Answer 1

Hazel Asher

There is a relation between period of pulsation ans luminosity of Cepheid variables.

So these types of stars can be used as standard candles to estimate

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Answer 2

Josiah Adams

Variable stars, like Cepheid variables or RR Lyrae stars, are used as standard candles by astronomers to measure the period of their brightness variations and compare it to their intrinsic luminosity, which allows astronomers to calculate the star's distance based on the idea that the longer the period of variation, the more luminous the star is intrinsically. Astronomers can also use the period-luminosity relationship to calculate the distance of a star by comparing its observed brightness from Earth with its known intrinsic brightness.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.