standard candle
Britishnoun
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.
Type Ia supernovae, long considered reliable "standard candles" for measuring cosmic distances, appear to be influenced by the age of the stars that create them.
From Science Daily
The peak brightness of a Type Ia supernova is so strong and steady that astronomers use them as ‘standard candles’ to calculate distances in the universe and the rate at which our Universe expands!
From Space Scoop
Pegging the distance to a Cepheid via parallax allows astronomers to calibrate the relationship between its brightness and variability, making it a workhorse “standard candle” for estimating greater cosmic distances.
From Scientific American
They are standard candles, objects of known brightness, and became a key tool for Hubble.
From Literature
Most of them rely on “standard candles,” astronomical objects of known brightness.
From Scientific American
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
