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Cepheid Variable Star in Galaxy M100


Depicts: Cepheid Variable Star
Copyright: Dr. Wendy L. Freedman, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and NASA

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of a region of the galaxy M100 shows a class of pulsating star called a Cepheid Variable. Though rare, these stars are reliable distance indicators to galaxies. Based on the Hubble observation, the distance to M100 has been measured accurately as 56 million light-years (+/- 6 million light-years), making it the farthest object where intergalactic distances have been determined precisely.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
8-Mar-2026 05:01 UT

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