light curve
noun
: a graph showing the variation in brightness of a celestial object (such as a variable star) over a period of time
Examples of light curve in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The most significant source of data came from ground telescopes all over the world that measured both asteroids’ light curve.
—
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Mar. 2024
Comparing the light curves before and after impact helped the team learn how DART changed Dimorphos’ motion.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Mar. 2024
Combining the data, UNITE’s lead scientist Lauren Sgro of the SETI Institute produced a comprehensive light curve showcasing every citizen astronomer’s contributions.
—Chiara Villanueva, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024
The basic problem is that the eclipse has a fairly flat bottom, as seen in this light curve from the previous eclipse in 1982-84.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
The government also published the meteor’s light curve, a graph of its brightness over time.
—Seth Fletcher, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2023
The light curve below, for the star KIC 6185331, displays an obvious dip (around day 28).
—Andrew Grant, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2012
However, when searching for exocomets, astronomers don't look for symmetrical dips in the light curve.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2019
The light curve created by Earth passing in front of the sun might set off an alien invasion.
—Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2016
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Mar. 2024
Comparing the light curves before and after impact helped the team learn how DART changed Dimorphos’ motion.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Mar. 2024
Combining the data, UNITE’s lead scientist Lauren Sgro of the SETI Institute produced a comprehensive light curve showcasing every citizen astronomer’s contributions.
—Chiara Villanueva, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024
The basic problem is that the eclipse has a fairly flat bottom, as seen in this light curve from the previous eclipse in 1982-84.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
The government also published the meteor’s light curve, a graph of its brightness over time.
—Seth Fletcher, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2023
The light curve below, for the star KIC 6185331, displays an obvious dip (around day 28).
—Andrew Grant, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2012
However, when searching for exocomets, astronomers don't look for symmetrical dips in the light curve.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2019
The light curve created by Earth passing in front of the sun might set off an alien invasion.
—Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2016
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'light curve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near light curve
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“Light curve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light%20curve. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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