light curve
noun
: a graph showing the variation in brightness of a celestial object (such as a variable star) over a period of time
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The recent bolide agreement, granting NASA access to light curve data that will help scientists analyze the physical properties of plunging fireballs, is one step in that direction. 
Joey Roulette, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Apr. 2022 In her circa 1928 photograph of an empty concrete amphitheater at Mills College, for instance, bands of dark and light curve outward like ripples of water from a pebble dropped in a pond, filling the frame. Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2022 The Visual Survey Group alerted Dalba and University of New Mexico assistant professor Diana Dragomir to the light curve: a graph showing starlight over time. Julia Musto, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2022 But could that light curve have instead been produced by a more rounded object with a nonuniform albedo? Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2021 In contrast to ‘Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov displays no extreme light curve, and its nongravitational motion is simply a consequence of asymmetric outgassing as ice comes off its surface, just as in solar system comets. David Jewitt, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2020 In December 2017 scientists reported ‘Oumuamua's light curve. David Jewitt, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2020 Barentsen also included a preliminary graph of the light curve, the way the star darkened as planets passed across it, which shows hints of at least six planets (as well as star spots) visible in the data. Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 10 Mar. 2017 Based on their almost-identical light curves, these worlds would all be nearly the same size: slightly bigger than Earth. Adam Mann, Scientific American, 3 July 2019 See More
Joey Roulette, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Apr. 2022 In her circa 1928 photograph of an empty concrete amphitheater at Mills College, for instance, bands of dark and light curve outward like ripples of water from a pebble dropped in a pond, filling the frame. Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2022 The Visual Survey Group alerted Dalba and University of New Mexico assistant professor Diana Dragomir to the light curve: a graph showing starlight over time. Julia Musto, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2022 But could that light curve have instead been produced by a more rounded object with a nonuniform albedo? Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2021 In contrast to ‘Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov displays no extreme light curve, and its nongravitational motion is simply a consequence of asymmetric outgassing as ice comes off its surface, just as in solar system comets. David Jewitt, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2020 In December 2017 scientists reported ‘Oumuamua's light curve. David Jewitt, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2020 Barentsen also included a preliminary graph of the light curve, the way the star darkened as planets passed across it, which shows hints of at least six planets (as well as star spots) visible in the data. Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 10 Mar. 2017 Based on their almost-identical light curves, these worlds would all be nearly the same size: slightly bigger than Earth. Adam Mann, Scientific American, 3 July 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1857, in the meaning defined above