What two factors affect how bright a star appears in the night sky?

Answer 1

Two factors that affect a star's apparent brightness are:

1.) The distance between the Earth and the star

2.) The absolute magnitude (the actual brightness) of the star

Hope that helps :P

Answer 2

The size of a star depends on the mass that accompanies its formation, and the rate at which reactions take place within the star.

The color and temperature of a star are determined by the fusion reactions within its core, and can change in some stars as they age. For example, a moderately-sized yellow star like the Sun will often swell to hundreds of times its diameter as it progresses into a red giant stage.

Answer 3

The temperature and the composition. The temperature is the main thing that governs the colour and brightness, from relatively cool and dim red stars to hot white or even blue stars. The more massive a star is, hotter it may be during the normal burn phase, which in turn governs it's colour.
the blue and white stars are hotter than the red ones

Answer 4

-- Your location on Earth.

-- The time of day or night.

-- The calendar date.

-- Your proximity to city lights.

-- The apparent visual magnitude of every star above your local horizon.

-- The acuity of your eyesight.

-- The moon phase, and whether it is in the sky at the moment.

-- The local cloud cover.

-- The clarity, purity, and stability of the local air.

Answer 5

a few different factors; how much hydrogen the star originally has for it to burn, how quickly it burns, age, and some other less important factors. as it runs out it starts growing from dwarf to giant, so they are considerably bigger when they're about to die.

Answer 6

The two factors that determine the brightness of a star are:

1. Luminosity - How much energy it releases in a given time.
2. Distance - How far the star is from the observer.

Answer 7

The apparent brightness of a star is measured by its apparent magnitude, which is the brightness of a star with respect to the star's luminosity, distance from Earth, and the altering of the star's light as it passes through Earth's atmosphere. Intrinsic or absolute magnitude is what the apparent magnitude a star would be if the distance between the Earth and the star were 10 parsecs (32.6 light-years), and it is directly related to a star's luminosity.

Answer 8

(1) Its real brightness (called absolute brightness, or absolute magnitude), and (2) its distance. There are additional factors, usually not that relevant for nearby stars: (3) Gas and dust in between may absorb part of the light, and (4) Gravitational lensing may distort the light of distant objects, sometimes making it seem several time its actual brightness.

Answer 9

It's luminosity and it's distance from the observer.

Answer 10

-- Its real (intrinsic) brightness depends on its size and temperature.

-- Its apparent brightness to us depends on its intrinsic brightness

and its distance from us.