Author Question: Why are Cepheid variables so important to the study of the Milky Way Galaxy? What will be an ... (Read 27 times)

BRWH

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 553
Why are Cepheid variables so important to the study of the Milky Way Galaxy?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

How does gravity explain the presence of the tides we experience on Earth?
 
  What will be an ideal response?



tsternbergh47

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 311
Answer to Question 1

Cepheid variables have a known relationship between their luminosity (absolute magnitude) and their pulsation period. An astronomer can easily observe the pulsation period of the variable star to determine its absolute magnitude and compare this with the apparent magnitude to determine the distance to the star. Cepheid variables are very luminous. This allows them to be seen over very long distances.
Cepheid variables are present in very distant globular clusters, so the distance to these clusters can be determined by studying the Cepheids. The distribution of globular clusters is a key to determining the center of the galaxy, since globular clusters orbit around this center.

Answer to Question 2

Tides are caused by small differences in gravitational forces. For example, Earth's gravity attracts your body downward with a force equal to your weight. The Moon is less massive and more distant, so it attracts your body with a force that is a tiny percent of your weight. You don't notice that little force, but Earth's oceans respond visibly.



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

The use of salicylates dates back 2,500 years to Hippocrates's recommendation of willow bark (from which a salicylate is derived) as an aid to the pains of childbirth. However, overdosage of salicylates can harm body fluids, electrolytes, the CNS, the GI tract, the ears, the lungs, the blood, the liver, and the kidneys and cause coma or death.

Did you know?

Alcohol acts as a diuretic. Eight ounces of water is needed to metabolize just 1 ounce of alcohol.

Did you know?

In Eastern Europe and Russia, interferon is administered intranasally in varied doses for the common cold and influenza. It is claimed that this treatment can lower the risk of infection by as much as 60–70%.

Did you know?

If you could remove all of your skin, it would weigh up to 5 pounds.

Did you know?

Opium has influenced much of the world's most popular literature. The following authors were all opium users, of varying degrees: Lewis Carroll, Charles, Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Oscar Wilde.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library