RS Puppis

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RS Puppis (or RS Pup) is a Cepheid variable star in the constellation of Puppis. Because it is located in a large nebula, astronomers using the ESO's New Technology Telescope at La Silla Observatory, Chile have been able to measure its distance by strictly geometric analysis of light echos from particles in the nebula. It's distance from Earth is 6500 ± 90 light years, according to this measurement, the most accurate achieved for any Cepheid as of early 2008. The accuracy of the new measurement is important because Cepheids serve as a marker for distances (standard candle) within our galaxy and for nearby galaxies. [1][2][3]


[edit] References

  1. ^ Kervella, Pierre: Light echoes whisper the distance to a star
  2. ^ Photos of the nebula and animation of the light echo
  3. ^ RS Pup Vital Statistics


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