variable star

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of variable star 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 Photograph: Alamy Hubble in turn wrote up his variable star measurements and convinced everyone that Andromeda was indeed a separate galaxy. WIRED, 12 Nov. 2023 See All Example Sentences for variable star
Recent Examples of Synonyms for variable star
Noun
  • Gravitational waves are distortions in the fabric of space-time caused by the motion of massive objects like black holes or neutron stars.
    Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 16 May 2025
  • Such interactions between black holes or neutron stars (compact remnants of exploded massive stars) can be studied through the deflection angle, the energy released through the near miss and the momentum of the objects’ recoil—all of which may be discerned in gravitational waves.
    Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • The campaign, which is slated to run locally, nationally and internationally, incorporates the red stars and colors of the Chicago flag, and features scenes of people making doughnuts, running by the lakefront and partying en masse at a live concert.
    Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025
  • The lunar disk will appear to close in on Antares as the night of June 9 progresses, with the red star eventually setting above the moon's upper left shoulder as the duo slip beneath the southwestern horizon in the predawn hours of June 10.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 8 June 2025
Noun
  • With the quest for longitude over, the observatory explored other avenues of astronomy, such as tracking Earth's magnetic field, viewing planetary transits and characterizing binary star systems.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 June 2025
  • Astronomers may have discovered a rare type of binary star system, where one star used to orbit inside its partner.
    Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • The most violent of these deaths are associated with truly giant stars and are known as supernovas—explosions that sometimes outshine entire galaxies.
    Robin George Andrews, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2025
  • Pollux is a giant star, while Castor is three stars orbiting each other.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • Astronomers traced a previous detection of a long-period transient, announced in March, to a white dwarf that’s closely orbiting a small, cool red dwarf star.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 28 May 2025
  • Crucially, the white dwarf is not destroyed, and the 80-year-long process begins again.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • Planners juggle thousands of variables, yet one late part or an unexpected route change can unwind months of work.
    Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • There are variables involved with recent Valparaiso graduate Caden Crowell’s next team.
    Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Variable star.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/variable%20star. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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