Henrietta Swan Leavitt
She discovered the period-luminosity relationship for Cepheid variable stars, a crucial tool for measuring cosmic distances.
Most quoted
"A straight line can readily be drawn among each of the two series of points corresponding to maxima and minima, thus showing that there is a simple relation between the brightness of the variables and their periods."
— from Harvard College Observatory Circular 173, 1912
"Since the variables are probably at nearly the same distance from the Earth, their periods are apparently associated with their actual emission of light, as determined by their mass, density, and surface brightness."
— from Harvard College Observatory Circular No. 173, 1912
"The universe is not merely a collection of stars and nebulae; it is a grand narrative, a cosmic poem written in thelight of distant suns, and we, with our telescopes, are learning to read its verses."
— from Attributed
All quotes by Henrietta Swan Leavitt (411)
The work at the Observatory is carried on with great diligence.
The discovery of the period-luminosity relation was not the result of a single moment, but of patient examination.
The stars in the Magellanic Clouds are all at approximately the same distance.
The mean magnitude is plotted against the logarithm of the period.
The evidence for the relation is presented in the accompanying diagram.
The investigation of these objects is still in progress.
The uniformity of the light-curves suggests a uniform cause.
The periods have been determined with all possible accuracy.
The brightness of a star is a function of its period.
The data for 25 variables are given in the following list.
The work of the computer is essential to the progress of astronomy.
Contemporaries of Henrietta Swan Leavitt
Other Astronomys born within 50 years of Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921).