Henrietta Leavitt

Henrietta Leavitt was an American astronomer whose work in the early 20th century significantly advanced our understanding of the universe. She studied Cepheid variable stars, which pulsate at regular intervals. Leavitt discovered a relationship between their brightness and the time of their pulsation, allowing astronomers to measure distances in space. Her findings enabled the determination of the scale of the universe and provided key insights into galactic structures. Leavitt’s contributions laid the groundwork for later discoveries, including the expansion of the universe, making her a pivotal figure in galactic astrophysics.