Glossary term: 造父变星
Description: 造父变星是一类脉动变星，其亮度的变化是由恒星外层周期性振荡引起的。它们以原型星——仙王座δ（Delta Cephei）命名。造父变星的一个重要特征是它们的周期与亮度之间存在紧密的关系。这就是由亨丽埃塔·勒维特在1908年发现的著名的周期–光度关系。利用这一关系，可以根据造父变星的脉动周期计算出其绝对亮度。通过比较易于观测的视亮度与从周期–光度关系中推导出的绝对亮度，可以确定该造父变星及其所在星系的距离。因此，造父变星是建立宇宙距离尺度的主要距离阶梯。
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Term and definition status: The original definition of this term in English have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher The translation of this term and its definition is still awaiting approval
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