variable star

noun

: a star whose brightness changes usually in more or less regular periods

Examples of variable star in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This region, about 8,000 light-years from Earth, is located adjacent to the famous explosive variable star Eta Carinae, which lies just outside the field of view toward the upper right. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024 Stars that change in brightness, known as variable stars, get brighter and dimmer; supernovas burst into view and then gradually fade away; and thousands of objects too faint to see with the unaided eye, like asteroids, move steadily across the sky. Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2024 Using these variable stars, scientists can measure the distances to galaxies up to about 100 million light-years from us. Quanta Magazine, 19 Jan. 2024 Henrietta Swan Leavitt developed a key method for measuring astronomical distances that is based on the pulsations of Cepheid variable stars. WIRED, 12 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for variable star 

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of variable star was in 1788

Dictionary Entries Near variable star

Cite this Entry

“Variable star.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/variable%20star. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

variable star

noun
: a star whose brightness changes usually in more or less regular periods

More from Merriam-Webster on variable star

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