If a star is brighter, does that mean that it is hotter?

Answer 1

The brightness of a star depends mainly on its size and distance. Its temperature can be determined by its color. A blue star is hotter than a red one.

Answer 2

The temperature of the surface of a star can be determined from its color. Blue stars are hotter, yellow stars less hot, red stars cooler.

During most of their lifetimes, stars are on the "Main Sequence". For stars on the "Main Sequence", the brighter stars are bluer and hotter. The brighter stars are also more massive, and live a shorter lifetime.

When stars are forming and evolving toward the Main Sequence, they become bright and red, that is, both bright and cool. When stars have used up their hydrogen and are evolving off the Main Sequence, they also become bright and red (cool). They do this by expanding in size, so that the cool surface is large, and therefore still emits a lot of energy.

Very old stars can be both dim and hot. This is because they are the remnant core of the evolved star, which is small, but dense and hot.

Answer 3

Apparent luminosity of a star is a combination of several things. The magnitude of a star decreases with distance and the amount of nonluminous interstellar dust. Also, a larger star will be brighter just because it has more surface area emitting photons.

But given two stars of comparable size, at the same distance and in the same region, one can assume that the brighter star is burning hotter as well.

Answer 4

No.

A stars temperature is derived as its color. Blue stars are hotter than red ones and yellow stars are hotter than brown ones.

Brightness is made up of several factors: How big and how close to us.

The bigger the star and the closer it is to us, it will show up brighter than the same size star further away.

Try this:

Using 2 grape fruit place 1 10 feet away and the other 30 feet away. Which one appears bigger?

Answer 5

If you mean brighter as viewed from earth, it can also depend on the distance. The heat of the star determines its color more than its brightness.

Answer 6

No

The temperature of a star can be determined by its spectrum (color).

What you are seeing is the apparent brightness from earth, but as stars get farther away, the amount of light reaching earth diminishes, so it looks dimmer.

Visit http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557483/Star_(astronomy).html
for information about star brightness, and temperature

Answer 7

Not necessarily. It could just be bigger. Or it could just be closer to Earth than a fainter star.

Betelgeuse is one of the brightest stars in the sky, but it's cooler than our Sun. It is so bright because it is a supergiant star - about as big around as the size of Jupiter's orbit around our Sun!

Answer 8

No.
Read about the temperatures of fire.
example: Blue is the hottest temp of fire. Red is the coldest.

Answer 9

no it doesnt just depends on distance and how big it is

Answer 10

It can be, but it depends more on the color