SFH

SFH is an acronym used in several fields, depending on context. The two most common senses are in housing and in astronomy.

In housing, SFH stands for single-family home, a residential dwelling designed for occupancy by a single family. Such homes are typically detached or semi-detached and feature private entrances, individual yards or lots, and separate utility services. SFHs are distinguished from multi-family dwellings such as apartments or condominiums by their independent structure and land parcel. Market characteristics include lot size, house size, age, and location factors such as schools and commuting access. In planning and appraisal, the term helps separate single-family properties from other dwelling types when analyzing market segments and price trends.

In astronomy, SFH stands for star formation history, the record of star formation rate in a galaxy or galactic region over cosmic time. It is inferred by modeling the ages of stellar populations, using color-magnitude diagrams for resolved populations or spectral energy distributions for unresolved ones, and by applying stellar evolution and chemical enrichment models. The SFH reveals how efficiently gas was converted into stars, how this process varied with environment or galaxy mass, and how feedback from stars affected subsequent growth. Understanding SFH contributes to broader questions about galaxy formation and evolution.

Other uses exist but are less common and domain-specific, so SFH should be interpreted from surrounding context.