The key discovery about Cepheid variable stars that led in the 1920s to the resolution of the question of whether spiral "nebulae" were separate and distant galaxies or part of the Milky Way Galaxy was the direct relationship between the pulsation period and the absolute brightness or luminosity of the Cepheid variables. A measurement of brightness of a variable star could then be used to determine the distance to the "nebula" containing it.

Apparent

The key discovery about Cepheid variable stars that led in the 1920s to the resolution of the question of whether spiral "nebulae" were separate and distant galaxies or part of the Milky Way Galaxy was the direct relationship between the pulsation period and the absolute brightness or luminosity of the Cepheid variables. A measurement of apparent brightness of a variable star could then be used to determine the distance to the "nebula" containing it.

Explanation:

A variable star is a star with changing apparent brightness. The changes can occur over years or in a fraction of seconds. For example the sun whose energy output varies by approximately 0.1 percent of its magnitude, over an 11-year solar cycle. This variable(apparent brightness) can be used to determine how far a variable star is (distance). Therefore, a measurement of apparent brightness of a variable star could then be used to determine the distance to the "nebula" containing it.