Permanent historical factsheet

Discovery of Cepheid Stars

Germany · Science / Astronomy. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.

2Records
1940–1952Date range
1Named people
0Places

Chronological records

1940

Wilhelm Heinrich Walter Baade1940

Science / Astronomy

Walter Baade recognizes that Cepheids consist of at least two separate populations (classical Cepheids & Type II Cepheids). Classical Cepheids are younger and more massive population I stars, whereas Type II Cepheids are older fainter population. Resolves stars in the centre of the Andromeda galaxy for the first time, which led him to define distinct "populations" for stars (Population I and Population II)

1952

Wilhelm Heinrich Walter Baade1952

Science / Astronomy

Recalculates the size of the known universe, doubling the previous calculation made by Hubble in 1929, announces this finding to considerable astonishment at the 1952 meeting of the International Astronomical Union in Rome

Names involved

Wilhelm Heinrich Walter Baade

Provenance

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