Why Are Cepheid Variables So Important for Measuring Distances in Astronomy

question 79

Multiple Choice

Why are Cepheid variables so important for measuring distances in astronomy?

• A)They all have the same luminosity.
• B)They all have the same period.
• C)Their luminosity can be inferred from their period.
• D)They are close enough to have a detectable parallax.
• E)They are circumpolar like Polaris,the North Star.

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Definitions:

Base Case

In recursive programming, the condition under which a recursive function returns without making any more recursive calls.

Recursive Valued Methods

Methods that call themselves with altered parameters to solve a problem, often used in programming for tasks like sorting and searching.

Infinite Recursion

A coding error where a function repeatedly calls itself without a terminating condition, leading to a stack overflow.

Order of Magnitude

An order of magnitude is a term used to express the scale or size of a quantity, typically in powers of ten, to compare approximate values or changes.