Light curve

A graph of an astronomical object's brightness over time. Its shape and timing can reveal changes in the object or events along the line of sight.

Photometry: The measurement of the brightness of astronomical objects, often across different wavelengths. Photometry supplies the brightness measurements plotted against time.
Variable star: A star whose observed brightness changes over time. Light curves classify variable stars and measure the timing and amplitude of their changes.
Astronomical seeing: The blurring of astronomical images caused by turbulence in Earth's atmosphere. Changing seeing can alter measured brightness, especially when nearby sources overlap.
Radial velocity method: A planet-detection method that measures a star's motion through shifts in its spectral lines. Unlike a transit light curve, it detects a planet through the star's changing line-of-sight velocity.
Apparent magnitude: A logarithmic measure of an object's brightness as seen from Earth. Light curves often plot apparent magnitude, whose scale runs backward: smaller values are brighter.
Cepheid variable: A pulsating star whose period of brightness variation is related to its intrinsic luminosity. Its measured period helps determine distance from the observed light curve.
Signal-to-noise ratio: The ratio of a measured signal's strength to the uncertainty or background noise affecting it. It sets how confidently small brightness variations can be distinguished from measurement noise.
Astrometry: The precise measurement of the positions and motions of celestial objects. Astrometry tracks positional changes, whereas a light curve tracks brightness changes.
Time-series analysis: Methods for analyzing observations recorded sequentially over time. These methods distinguish genuine variability from noise, gaps, and trends in light-curve data.
Supernova: A powerful stellar explosion that can briefly outshine an entire galaxy. The rise and decline of its light curve help identify the explosion and estimate its properties.

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