During his research, which star characteristic was significant for Shapley?
Brightness
Color
Variability
Size
Answer
Variable stars are stars that change their brightness in a regular or irregular way. Shapley studied the variability of stars, particularly the Cepheid variable stars, which are very luminous stars that vary in brightness in a regular way. The period of variability of Cepheid variable stars is related to their absolute magnitude, which is their brightness as seen from a distance of 10 parsecs.
Shining a Light on Harlow Shapley: The Scientist and Advocate Quiz
Subscribe Now!
Learn something
new everyday
Playing quizzes is free! We send 1 quiz every week to your inbox