2007-04-29 13:08:32 · 3 answers · asked by Riz 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The lower the magnitude, the brighter the star. Stars of magnitude 1 are brighter than stars of magnitude 2.
2007-04-29 13:12:22 · answer #1 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Apparent magnitude is how bright a star appears to us on Earth. It is not a direct comparison of how bright a star really is, because apparent magnitude is based on not only how bright or big the star is, but also how far away it is and what may be in between (such as gas or dust clouds) blocking some of the light.
So astronomers generally use absolute magnitude (how bright a star would appear if it was 10 parsecs away from Earth, regardless of its real distance). That gives us a better comparison of a star's brightness independant of distance.
2007-04-29 13:18:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dude. Thut dusnt make aney scanse!
2007-04-29 13:12:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋