Astronomy can be a bit confusing. Especially when the three terms have basically the same units.
2007-10-12 12:23:39 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Luminosity is the total amount of energy radiated by an object per unit of time. measured in W/s.
Intensity is the amount of energy per unit area. measured in W/m^2.
Flux is the energy per unit time that flows through a given surface. This is measured in W/s.
2007-10-12 13:04:18 · answer #1 · answered by Demiurge42 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Luminosity - the rate at which a star radiates energy (the amount of light).
Intensity - A measure of the power emitted by a source of light (how powerful the light is)
Flux - the amount of energy (in the form of photons) at a certain distance from the source (how much the amount of light declines with distance).
I find all these terms hard to organize in my head as well (like all the electricity terms like volts, amps, watts).
I think its one of those things you have to pound into your head. I hope someone else has a good answer we can both learn from.
2007-10-12 19:53:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋