Distance indicator · Primary rung
Tip of the Red Giant Branch
The sharp, near-constant peak brightness that red giant stars reach just before the helium flash — a robust standard candle that can be measured in a galaxy's halo, away from crowding and dust. It provides an independent route to calibrating Type Ia supernovae, and its Hubble-constant value sits between the Cepheid and CMB results.
Highlights
- ›An independent calibration of Type Ia supernovae
Methods, objects & facilities
Knowledge connections
- Associated withStandard Candles
- Associated withThe Cosmic Distance Ladder
- Associated withThe Hubble Constant
- Associated withThe Red-Giant Branch
- Associated withDistance & Scale Explorer
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.