The Status of the Distance Scale

Abstract

Cepheids are the pillar of the extragalactic distance scale, but their reach in distance is not sufficient to calibrate H_0. Yet HST has provided Cepheid distances to eight galaxies which have produced SNe Ia. The latter are used as nearly perfect standard candles to carry the distance scale to 30,000 km/s, giving H_0 = 58 +/- 5. This determination finds support in other methods but its range in distance and its weight is unparalleled.

12 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, LaTeX 2.09. To appear in the Proceedings of the IAU Coll. 176 "The Impact of Large-Scale Surveys on Pulsating Star Research", Budapest, Aug. 1999, eds. L. Szabados & D. Kurtz (ASP Conf. Ser.)

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