T h e a g e n d a s ta rts w itha re p o rtb y th e D ir e c to r G e n e ra l: S ta tu s o f m a jo r te le s c o p e p ro je c ts , fu tu re in s tru m e n ta tio n a n d s u c h m a tte rs . T h e n th e D ire c to rinC h ile a n d th e h e a d o f th e

w ho r a is e d th e p o in t.Ina ll c a s e s th e a ir in g o f o p in io n s is fe it to b eu s e fu l.

b e n e fit o f th e ir o w n re s e a rc h , ta k e p a rtinth e d e v e lo p m e n t o f s ta te \ue000 o f-th e -a rt e q u ip m e n t.Itw a s a ls o p o in te d o u t th a t th e s ta ff a s tro n o m e risina m u c h b e tte r p o s itio n th a n th e v is ito r to d e te c t th e m a lfu n c tio n in g o f in s tr u m e n ts o r te le s c o p e s .

fo r d is g r u n tle d v is itin g a s tr o n o m e r s .Itisa ls o a fru itfu l c o lla \ue000 b o ra tiv e

fa m o u s p e r io d - Iu m in o s ity la w fo r C e p h e id sinth e M a g e l\ue000 la n ic C lo u d s , th e C lo u d s h a v e p la y e d a c e n tr a l r o leinth e s tu d y o f th e s e

s ta n t- p e r io d fin e s .T h e b lu e e d g e s fo r p u ls a tio n in th e fu n d a m e n ta l a n d firs t h a r m o n ie m o d e s a re in d ic a te d b yF B E a n d1H B E , th e re d e d g eb yR E .

A tfirs t s ig h t it s e e m s s u r p r is in g th a t o n e s h o u ld w o rry a b o u t c h e m ic a l c o m p o s itio n w h e n d e a lin g w ith C e p h e id s . C e p h e id s ,a tle a s t th e

a ll p a s s in g th r o u g h th e s a m e e v o lu tio n a ry p h a s e . a n d o n e e x p e c ts th a t th e ir c o m p o s i\ue000 tio n is n e v e r v e ry d iffe re n t fro m

g iv e s th e p e r io d o f a C e p h e id a sa fu n c tio n o f its m a s s a n d ra d iu s .It c a n a ls ob e w ritte n a s a fu n c tio n

u s u a lly c a n n o t b e d e te r m in e d d ir e c tly .T oa rriv e a t th e m o re "o b s e rv a b le " P -L -C re la tio n , w eh a v e to d o tw o th in g s : fir s tly to e lim in a te th e m a s s b y

W h e n lo o k in g a t o n e o f th e C lo u d s ,w e o b s e rv e th e re fo re s ta rs w h ic h a re a lla ta p p r o x im a te ly th e s a m e d is ta n c e . A s e c o n d

th e L a rg e C lo u d(L M C ) a n din th e S m a ll C lo u d (S M C ), a n d s in c e th e y a re s u p e r g ia n ts th e y a re s till re a s o n a b ly b rig h t, e v e n a t a d is ta n c e o f 5 0 o r 6 0 k ilo p a r s e c s . F o ra na n a ly s is o f th e

m o s t im p o rta n t o b s e rv a b le p r o p e r tie s o f C e p h e id s is u s u a lly e x p r e s s e d b y a re fin e d v e rs io n o f M is s L e a v itt's la w , th e p e r io d - Iu m in o s ity - c o lo u r (P -L -C ) re la tio n .O nth e o n e h a n d , th is r e la tio n d e s c r ib e s th e

o t h e r h a n d , it is fu n d a m e n ta l fo r th e u s e o f C e p h e id sa sd is ta n c e in d ic a \ue000 to rs : fo r a C e p h e id o f a g iv e n p e rio d , c o lo u r, a n d a p p a re n t m a g n itu d e ,

im p o r ta n t to o lin th e c a lib r a tio n o f e x tr a g a la c tic d is ta n c e s , a n d it is p a r tic u la r ly th is a p p lic a tio n th a t a c c o u n ts fo r th e fa m e o f th e re la tio n .

th e fir s t p la c e . T h is tu r n s o u t to b e a d iffic u lt p ro b le m , a n d e v e n 7 0 y e a rs a fte r M is s L e a v itt's d is c o v e r y , th e w o r k o n im p r o v e m e n ts o f th e P - L - C re la tio n is s till c o n tin u in g . F ro m

o u r e a rlie r re m a rk s itisc le a r th a t th e s lo p e s o f th e r e la tio n s b e tw e e nP ,L a n d C a re m o s t d ir e c tly o b ta in e d b y o b s e rv in g C e p h e id sin th e LM C

re la tio n e n tir e ly b y m e a n s o f th e s e c lu s te rs , a n d to e s ta b \ue000 lis h a r e la tio n th a tisb a s e dp u r e ly o n g a la c tic C e p h e id s , b u t u n fo r tu n a te ly to o fe w C e p h e id sinc lu s te rs a re k n o w n , a n d

re la tio n w ith a " g a la c tic " z e ro p o in t, if o n lyw ec o u ld tru s t th a t C e p h e id s a re in d e e d th e s a m eina ll g a la x ie s . E s p e \ue000 c ia lly

a sa d e c r e a s in g a b u n d a n c e o f th e h e a v ie r e le m e n ts a lo n g th e s e q u e n c e G a la x y -L M C -S M C .Ittu rn s o u t th a t c o m p o \ue000 s itio n

a re d e te r m in e d ,w e n e e d d e ta ile d k n o w l\ue000 e d g e a b o u t th e p h y s ic s o f C e p h e id s . A fte r th ir ty y e a rs o f e x te n s iv e th e o re tic a l w o r ko nth e e v o lu tio n a n d p u ls a tio n o f C e p h e id s , th e m a in fe a tu r e s o f C e p h e id b e h a v io u r a re n o w

e v o lu tio n a r y tr a c k s p o p u la te th e s trip . T h e s e c o m p o s itio n e ffe c tso nth e w id th a n d p o s itio n o f th e C e p h e id s tr ip a re illu s tr a te d s c h e m a tic a llyinF ig .1 ;th e e ffe c ts inth e P -L -C re la tio n

h a r d ly a v a ila b le . T h is s itu a tio n h a s n o w b e e n im p r o v e d b y th e w o rk o fH .C .H a rris(A s tro n .J . 8 6 , 1 1 9 2 , 1 9 8 1 ), a n d b y th e r e s u lts o b ta in e da tL aS illa b yA .M .v a n G e n d e r e n ,J . L u b , a n d th e a u th o r (firs t re s u ltsinA s tro n . A s tro p h y s . 9 9 , L1 , 1 9 8 1 ). B o th

s p e c ific a lly d e s ig n e d to m e a s u re th e s tre n g th o f m e ta llin e sinth e b lu e a n d n e a r-u ltra v io le t p a rt o f

in d e p e n d e n t o f in te r s te lla r e x tin c tio n . F o r th e4 5SM CC e p h e id sin h is p ro g ra m m e H a rris fin d s a m e a n m e ta l a b u n d a n c e w h ic h is a b o u t a fa c to r 3 .5 lo w e r th a n

1 0 2 g a la c tic C e p h e id s , o v e r a la rg e ra n g eing a la c to c e n tr ic d is ta n c e s . T h e m e ta l c o n te n t o f th e s e s ta rs s h o w sa no u tw a rd g ra d ie n t o f-1 5%

p r o je c to n g a la c tic C e p h e id s a n dR R L y ra e s ta rs c a rrie d o u t p r e v io u s lyinS o u th A fric a .In fa c tV an G e n d e \ue000 re nh a d o b s e r v e ds om eSM C C e p h e id s w ith th e W a lra v e n p h o to m e te r a lre a d y , a n dh eh a d fo u n d in d ic a tio n s o f a lo w m e ta l c o n te n tinth e s e s ta rs , b u t th e S o u th A fric a n s u m \ue000 m e r w a s " b a d s e a s o n " , a n d th e p o o r s e e in ga tH a rte b e e s \ue000 p o o rtd a m