Magnitudes require distance and luminosity.
Therefore a specific star is required.
Absolute magnitude is how bright a star is. Apparent magnitude is how bright it looks to us (on Earth).
The standard distance is 10 parsecs. At this distance the star's apparent magnitude equals its absolute magnitude. A star 100 parsecs away has an absolute magnitude 5 magnitudes brighter than its apparent magnitude. 1 parsec is 3.26 light-years.
No. Absolute magnitude is an intrinsic property of the star, but apparent magnitude also depends on the star's distance from Earth.
The apparent magnitude of Vega is 0.03. The absolute magnitude is 0.58.
How far away the star is.
Apparent magnitude is the measure of how bright a star appears to be from our vantage point. Absolute magnitude is the measure of how bright a star would be if it were located 10 parsecs from earth.
Apparent magnitude is the brightness as observed from earth, while absolute magnitude is the brightness of a star at a set distance. The apparent magnitude considers the stars actual brightness as well as it's distance from us, but absolute magnitude takes the distance factor out so that star brightnesses can be directly compared.
The two types are apparent magnitude, the magnitude of a star as it appears to us, and absolute magnitude, which is what a star's apparent magnitude would be at a standard distance of ten parsecs.
Distance
Apparent magnitude is 0.77 Absolute magnitude is 2.21Wikipedia lists its visual magnitude as 0.77.
Its apparent magnitude is 2.58. Its absolute magnitude is -0.9386058
The apparent magnitude of Vega is 0.03. The absolute magnitude is 0.58.