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A magnitude star, is a scale used to indicate magnitude. It originated in the Hellenistic practice of dividing stars visible to the naked eye into six magnitudes viewed with the naked eye. Telescopes were yet to be invented!
The brightest being first magnitude, the dimmest as sixth magnitude.
So any bright star you see in the sky will probably be a first magnitude star.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoIt is how bright the star appears from earth. This means that the distance of the star from earth comes into play. A huge and very bright star might appear small and dim if it is thousands of lightyears from earth, while a much smaller star could appear brighter is it is only 15 or so lightyearsfrom earth. So the second may have a higher apparent magnitude even though it is dimmer if compared to the first star at the same set distance. The absolute magnitude of the first star will be higher, but the apparent magnitude will be lower.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe magnitude of a star determines the brightness of a star to us on earth. if a star has a magnitude of -2 it would be brighter that a star with a magnitude of 3. now what i dont understand is why a negative magnitude is brighter than a positive. if you or anybody knows please tell me. hope i helped you!
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoStar Magnitude
The star magnitude scale measures the intensity of the brightness of stars. The lower the number, the brighter the star, and the higher the magnitude, the dimmer the star. A logarithmic scale is used because the brightness of any star is 2.5 times brighter than the star of 1 magnitude greater, so a star of the third magnitude is 2.5 times brighter than a star of the fourth magnitude, and a star of the second magnitude is 2.5 times brighter than a star of the third magnitude. A logarithmic scale was chosen since the difference between the absolute magnitude and the apparent magnitue depends on distance, but isn't much. If it were exponential, it would still depend on distance, but the difference between the two magnitudes would be very great. To find out how bright or dim a star is compared to a star of the first magnitude, take 2.5x, x being 1 less than the magnitude of the star. The equation is then:
2.5^x-1 = # of times dimmer than a star of the first magnitude.
Magnitude of star | times dimmer than 1st mag. star
1 | 0
2 | 2.5
3 | 6.25
4 | 15.63
5 | 39.06
6 | 97.66
7 | 244.14
To find out how many times brighter one star is than another, take 2.5^x, where x is the number of levels of magnitude between the two stars. For instance, to find out how much brighter a 3 star is to a 5 star, take 2.5^2, and you get 6.25, so a star of the 3rd magnitude is 6.25 times brighter than a star of the 5th magnitude.
To find out the absolute magnitude when the apparent magnitude and distance in parsecs is known (10 PC is 33 light years) the formula is:
M=m-5log(d/10).
Here are some problems:
1. If star A has a magnitude of 5, and star B has a magnitude of 3, how much brighter is star B than A? Special:Wysiwyg.
2. If you want to find the apparent magnitude of a star, and you know that the distance in PC is 3.10, and the absolute magnitude is 4.8, what is the apparent magnitude? Special:Wysiwyg.
Other interesting information we found:
- The Greeks first came up with a star brightness scale, and ranked the stars 1-6, 1 the brightest, and 6 so dim you needed very good eyesight to see them.
- Absolute magnitude is how bright a star appears from 10 PC, or 33 light years, expressed as 'M'.
- Apparent magnitude is how bright a star appears from earth, and is expressed as 'm'.
- With our current telescopes, stars to the 24th magnitude can be seen.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThe lower the number, the brighter the star. This makes for some counter-intuitive results. So a "first magnitude star" is brighter than a "second magnitude star", and a second is brighter than a third magnitude star. But for REALLY bright stars, the numbers keep going lower, and go into negative numbers for very bright objects.
So a star with a magnitude of -2 is brighter than a star of magnitude -1. And Jupiter in this season (February 2013) is at magnitude -2.1, which is just about the brightest thing in the sky.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe magnitude is the brightness of the star.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe actual amount of light that a star gives off.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe magnitude of a star is a measure of the star's brightness. A smaller number means a brighter star.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoSirius, Canopus, Regulus, ...
Note that some planets are also extremely bright - they look like stars.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agobogo ka ikay answer anah
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What term is used to describe a star's brightness?
It is called Vmag. This is the visual magnitude of the object. Visual magnitude is a scale used by astronomers to measure the brightness of a star or other celestial object. Visual magnitude measures only the visible light from the object. The lower the V-MAG the brighter the star. You can go to http://seasky.org/pictures/sky7b14.html to learn more.
The measure of a stars brightness is called its what?
Scientists actually use two measurements to identify a star's brightness. One is luminosity, or the energy that star puts out. Another is magnitude, or the amount of light a star puts out.
What is it called when the brightness of a star is measurable on a scale?
Star brightness is defined in terms of apparent magnitude, which is how bright the star appears from Earth. Star brightness is also defined by absolute magnitude, which is how bright a star appears at the standard distance of 36.2 light years. Luminosity is also a way that a star's light is measured.
Brightest star in the sky?
The brightest star in the sky, is our Sun. It is a star. After the Sun, Sirius is the next brightest star, or the brightest in the night sky.
How bright is a star if its absolute magnitude is -1.4?
For historical reasons, the ratio of brightness that represents a change of 1 visual magnitude is defined as the 5th root of 100. So the ratio of brightness between two stars whose apparent visual magnitudes differ by 1 is 2.512 (rounded). The brighter star is 2.512 times as bright as the 'dimmer' one . A difference of 5 magnitudes is a difference of 100 times in brightness, which the difference between a 1st magnitude star and a 6th magnitude one.
What is a star brightness called?
the brightness of a star is called it's magnitude
What star is called its magnitude?
The magnitude of a star means how bright it is.
What is the absolute magnitude of Altiar?
The star is called Altair; the absolute magnitude is estimated at 2.21.The star is called Altair; the absolute magnitude is estimated at 2.21.The star is called Altair; the absolute magnitude is estimated at 2.21.The star is called Altair; the absolute magnitude is estimated at 2.21.
How bright a star actually is at a distance of 32.6 light years away from earth is?
That's the number called the star's "Absolute Magnitude".That is called the star's "absolute magnitude".
A first magnitude star is times brighter than a 5th magnitude star?
For apparent magnitudes, a magnitude of zero has the same magnitude as Vega. A first magnitude star is 40 percent as bright and a fifth magnitude star is one percent. So, a first magnitude star is 40 times as bright as a fifth.
What is the magnitude of a star as it appears in the sky called?
The Polar star is the star that is magnitude. This is a Luminosity star.
What part of a star is called magnitude?
The magnitude of a star refers to its brightness.
Star A is a first magnitude star. Star B is a sixth magnitude star. Which star is brighter and by how much?
A magnitude 1 star is 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star.A magnitude 1 star is 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star.A magnitude 1 star is 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star.A magnitude 1 star is 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star.
Name for How bright a star is from the earth?
The brightness of a star is called visual magnitude. The lower the visual magnitude is the brighter the star is.
A star might be much brighter than it appears to be This is called the star's absolute magnitude The difference in apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude is due primarily to the star's?
Distance
A star might be much brighter than it appears to be. This is called the star's absolute magnitude. The difference in apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude is due primarily to the star's -?
Distance
How bright a star actually is a distance of 32.6 light years from earth is called?
That's called the star's absolute magnitude.
