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Nov 12, 2016 · Leavitt is best known for discovering about 2,400 variable stars between 1907 and 1921 (when she died). She discovered that some of these stars have a consistent brightness no matter...
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She identified 1,777 variable stars. In 1908, Leavitt published the results of her studies in the Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard College, noting that the brighter variables had the longer period. [6]
Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer known for her discovery of the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variables, pulsating stars that vary regularly in brightness in periods ranging from a few days to several months. Learn about her life and career.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Leavitt was astonished at the number of variable stars she discovered in these clouds – 969 in the small cloud and 808 in the large cloud, making a total of 1,777. These stars are classed as Cepheid variable stars, named for Delta Cephei in the constellation Cepheus.
Feb 4, 2019 · Henrietta Swan Leavitt worked at Harvard University cataloging stars. Through her work, astronomers have come to understand how to use Cepheid variable stars as cosmic signposts.
Mar 8, 2019 · Leavitt stacked two photographic plates of the Small Magellanic Cloud taken on different nights on top of each other, and noticed that a number of stars changed brightness. Examining further plates, she found 57 new variable stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
Leavitt discovered 25 Cepheid variables in the cluster and created a graph showing the maximum brightness of each star and the length of its period. As she suspected, there was a clear relationship. Brighter stars had longer periods.
