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The examination committee was chaired by Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Director of SAASST. Other members included Prof. Mounir Kaidi, Chair of the Department of Applied Physics and Astronomy at UoS, who served as the internal examiner, and Dr. Aquib Moin, Associate Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences at UAE University, who served as the external examiner. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Mashhoor Al-Wardat, Professor of Astrophysics at UoS and Director of the Academic Affairs Department at SAASST.
The study aimed to analyze the parameters and behavior of two Cepheid variable stars, focusing on spectral and magnitude variations during their pulsation cycles. The results revealed that the Cepheid Variable FF Aql, part of the triple star system (HD 176155) showed variation in its radius from 51.4 to 58 solar radii and its temperature between 5275 K and 5800 K during its 4.47-day pulsation cycle. Its mass was found to be 5.7 solar masses, where the total mass of the system is 9.53 solar masses with a metallicity similar to the sun (Z=0.019), classifying it as a Population I (Third Generation) Star.
As for RS Puppis, it has a larger radius, ranging from 192 to 202 solar radii, and a temperature variation between 4200 and 4675 K over a period of 41.5 days, with a mass of approximately 8.5 solar masses. Space missions such as GAIA and HIPPARCOS, along with ground-based observations and the use of Al-Wadat’s Method for analyzing stellar systems was used to derive these results.
The findings of this thesis contribute to the understanding of Cepheid variables and their essential role in measuring cosmic expansion, by providing accurate data on stellar variation where it enhances the precision of astronomical models.
At the conclusion of the defense, the committee approved the thesis and awarded Naufa Nazar a Master’s degree in Astronomy and Space Sciences.