Cepheid
noun
Ce·phe·id
ˈse-f(ē-)id 
ˈsē-
ˈsē-
: any of a class of variable stars whose very regular light variations are related directly to their intrinsic luminosities and whose apparent luminosities are used to estimate distances in astronomy
Examples of Cepheid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hubble worked hard, taking images of spiral nebulae every clear night and looking for the telltale variations of Cepheid variables.
—
Chris Impey, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
One is directly, by observing 'standard candles' — that is, objects with predictable luminosities such as Cepheid variables, type Ia supernova explosions, and red giant stars — in galaxies and determining how far away they are based on the apparent brightness of these standard candles.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2025
As a student there, Wells joined Cepheid Variable, volunteered at the convention, and tried her hand at writing.
—Meghan Herbst, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024
As well as being positioned very close to Earth’s north celestial pole, Polaris is a Cepheid variable, a star that pulsates and changes in brightness in a highly predictable way.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
With the Hubble Space Telescope, some of the light from any given Cepheid star overlapped with light from other stars close to it, so scientists had to use statistics to estimate how bright the Cepheid was alone.
—Marc Kamionkowski, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
At subsidiary Cepheid, which handles molecular diagnostics, the team reported market share gains in molecular testing.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 23 July 2024
The standard candle that Hubble used in plotting his diagram was a Cepheid variable, a star that brightens and dims at regular intervals.
—Richard Panek, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2023
The diagnostics company Cepheid also lowered the cost of one of its test cartridges for the GeneXpert after John started another online campaign.
—Katherine MacPhail, STAT, 16 Mar. 2024
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Chris Impey, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
One is directly, by observing 'standard candles' — that is, objects with predictable luminosities such as Cepheid variables, type Ia supernova explosions, and red giant stars — in galaxies and determining how far away they are based on the apparent brightness of these standard candles.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2025
As a student there, Wells joined Cepheid Variable, volunteered at the convention, and tried her hand at writing.
—Meghan Herbst, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024
As well as being positioned very close to Earth’s north celestial pole, Polaris is a Cepheid variable, a star that pulsates and changes in brightness in a highly predictable way.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
With the Hubble Space Telescope, some of the light from any given Cepheid star overlapped with light from other stars close to it, so scientists had to use statistics to estimate how bright the Cepheid was alone.
—Marc Kamionkowski, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
At subsidiary Cepheid, which handles molecular diagnostics, the team reported market share gains in molecular testing.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 23 July 2024
The standard candle that Hubble used in plotting his diagram was a Cepheid variable, a star that brightens and dims at regular intervals.
—Richard Panek, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2023
The diagnostics company Cepheid also lowered the cost of one of its test cartridges for the GeneXpert after John started another online campaign.
—Katherine MacPhail, STAT, 16 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Cepheid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cepheid. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Cepheid
noun
Ce·phe·id
ˈsē-fē-əd
: one of a class of pulsating stars whose changes in brightness are very regular
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