 Henrietta Swan Leavitt

Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921) was an American astronomer whose work significantly contributed to the field of astrophysics, particularly in understanding variable stars and the measurement of cosmic distances. She is best known for her discovery of the relationship between the luminosity and the periodicity of Cepheid variable stars. Leavitt's research at the Harvard College Observatory involved studying the brightness variations of these stars, which pulsate in regular intervals.