Analysis of Galactic Cepheid Kinematics and Modeling of the Galactic Stellar Disk

Authors

  • Ivan Alekseev School of the Center for Teacher Excellence, Moscow
  • Angelina Veselova St. Petersburg State University

Keywords:

student research, galactic astronomy, Cepheids, Galactic disk warp, numerical modeling, research activity

Abstract

This article describes a student research project analyzing the kinematics of the Milky Way disk using a catalog of classical Cepheids. The Sun's displacement relative to the mean plane of the disk is estimated as z₀₀ = −37.4 ± 0.7 pc. The motions of Cepheids are modeled numerically in an axisymmetric Galactic potential comprising a Plummer sphere potential (bulge), a Miyamoto–Nagai disk potential (stellar and gaseous disk), and a Navarro–Frenk–White halo potential (dark halo). No significant evolution of the disk warp is found on a timescale of approximately 100 million years. The interdisciplinary and career-guidance value of the project is also discussed.

Author Biographies

Ivan Alekseev, School of the Center for Teacher Excellence, Moscow

Graduate of the Comprehensive School of the Center for Teacher Excellence, Moscow

Angelina Veselova, St. Petersburg State University

Assistant at the Department of Celestial Mechanics, Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics, St. Petersburg State University; National Coach in Astronomy and Astrophysics

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Published

2026-08-12

How to Cite

[1]
Alekseev, I. and Veselova, A. 2026. Analysis of Galactic Cepheid Kinematics and Modeling of the Galactic Stellar Disk. Astronomy Education. 1, 2 (Aug. 2026), 35–42.

Issue

No. 2 (2026)

Section

Student Research Activity

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Ivan Alekseev, Angelina Veselova

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