period-luminosity relation

American  

[peer-ee-uhd-loo-muh-nos-i-tee] / ˈpɪər i ədˌlu məˈnɒs ɪ ti /

noun

Astronomy.

1. the relationship between the period of light variation and of the absolute magnitude of Cepheid variable stars.

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Etymology

Origin of period-luminosity relation

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Hubble was able to use his measurement of Cepheids and Leavitt’s period-luminosity relation to prove definitively that the Cepheids in Andromeda and several other nebulae were much too distant to be inside the Milky Way.

From Scientific American