Contents
Henrietta Swan Leavitt
Discovering a relationship that made Cepheid stars cosmic distance markers.
Variable-star study · Period–luminosity relation
- Born
- 4 July 1868
- Birthplace
- Lancaster, Massachusetts, United States
- Died
- 12 December 1921
More people
Henrietta Swan Leavitt
Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an American astronomer whose measurements of changing starlight helped others establish the scale of the universe.
Early life
Massachusetts
Grew up in the family of a Congregational minister.
Education
Attended Oberlin and graduated from the institution later named Radcliffe College in 1892.
Career
- 1890s
Harvard research
Began examining photographic plates as a volunteer assistant.
- 1903
Observatory work
Returned to Harvard College Observatory’s stellar studies.
- 1921
Photometry
Was given responsibility for the observatory’s photographic brightness measurements.
Contributions
Variable-star study
Reported that brighter Cepheids varied over longer periods.
Period–luminosity relation
Established the relationship more precisely using stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Photographic standards
Helped develop standard measurements of stellar brightness.
Beyond the lab
Hearing loss
Continued her research despite progressive deafness.
Legacy
Edwin Hubble later used Cepheids to establish distances beyond the Milky Way.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional biography and research ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
