cepheid

< /ˈsi fiˌaɪ/ for 1.

1. Astronomy. a northern circumpolar constellation between Cassiopeia and Draco.
2. Also Kepheus. Classical Mythology. an Ethiopian king, the husband of Cassiopeia and father of Andromeda.

noun Latin genitive Cephei (ˈsiːfɪˌaɪ)

1. a faint constellation in the N hemisphere near Cassiopeia and the Pole StarSee also Cepheid variable

noun

1. Greek myth a king of Ethiopia, father of Andromeda and husband of Cassiopeia

n.

type of variable star, 1904, from Delta Cephi, the name of the first such star identified, which is in the dim northern constellation Cephus, named for Greek Kepheus, a mythical king. With -id.

1. Any of a class of variable stars whose luminosity fluctuates with an extremely regular period. There is a strong correlation between the absolute magnitude of a Cepheid’s luminosity and its period. By comparing the apparent magnitude of a Cepheid to the absolute magnitude corresponding to its period, it is possible to determine fairly accurately how distant the Cepheid is from Earth. Also called Cepheid variable

1. A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Cassiopeia and Draco.