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Showing results for light curve. Search instead for light source.

light curve

American  

noun

Astronomy.
  1. a graph showing variations in brightness of celestial objects over time.


Etymology

Origin of light curve

First recorded in 1885–90


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

A tilted accretion disk around a black hole could also create bumps in the light curve.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

The intervals between these fluctuations became progressively shorter, creating four distinct bumps in the light curve.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

Exoplanets can also leave traces in the light curve.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2024

Researchers define a light curve as a measurement of the brightness of a star over a longer period of time.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2024

M. H. E. Lau finds that the short-period variable star δ Cephei varies slightly in colour as well as in light, and that the colour curve is parallel to the light curve.

From Astronomical Curiosities Facts and Fallacies by J. Ellard Gore

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