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"First magnitude" usually means the brightest 21 stars, as seen from Earth.

Another definition is stars with apparent magnitudes 0.5 to 1.5.

This definition excludes the very brightest stars, like Sirius.

They are the first stars that become visible after sunset and they all have names. Examples are Altair, Aldebaran, Capella, Spica, Antares, Fomalhaut, Deneb, Regulus,

Sirius, etc.

There can be confusion because First Magnitude stars are not stars with an "apparent magnitude" of exactly "one". They are just the brightest stars, but naturally their magnitudes are close to one.

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How do you describe stars of the first magnitide?

Stars of the first magnitude are some of the brightest stars in the night sky. They typically have a visual magnitude that is lower than +1.5, making them easily visible to the naked eye. Examples of first magnitude stars include Sirius, Canopus, and Arcturus.


What is the 4th magnitude star?

First magnitude stars are by definition the brightest stars.Therefore a number of bright stars are:Our SunSiriusCanopusArcturusAlpha Centauri AVegaRigelProcyonAchernarBetelgeuse


A measure of a stars brightness is called its?

Magnitude. First magnitude descibes many bright stars, and a span of five magnitudes represents a difference of a hundred times in the star's brightness. The dimmest stars seen by a perfect human eye in perfect conditions is 6th magnitude.


What are two ways to describe a stars brightness?

One way to describe a star's brightness is by its apparent magnitude, which is how bright it appears from Earth. Another way is by its absolute magnitude, which measures how bright a star would appear if it were placed at a standard distance of 10 parsecs from Earth.


What is a stars brightness known as?

A star's brightness is known as its magnitude. Stars with lower magnitude numbers are brighter than stars with a higher magnitude number.


What is a second magnitude star?

A second magnitude star is a star that is relatively bright in the night sky, typically with an apparent visual magnitude between 1.5 and 2.5. These stars are easily visible to the naked eye and are brighter than third magnitude stars but dimmer than first magnitude stars.


The Greeks assigned what magnitude to the brightest stars seen in the night sky?

The brightest stars were traditionally magnitude 1; the weakest that could still be seen with the naked eye, 6. This system has been formalized and refined; as a result, there are now not only magnitudes with decimals, but also negative magnitudes for the very brightest stars and planets. For example, Venus has a magnitude of approximately minus 4.


Are the brightest stars low or high magnitude?

The brightest stars have a low magnitude. Magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale where lower numbers indicate brighter objects. The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, has a magnitude of -1.46.


What the relationship between magnitude and size of the star?

The brightness of a star depends on its temperature, size and distance from the earth. The measure of a star's brightness is called its magnitude. Bright stars are first magnitude stars. Second magnitude stars are dimmer. The larger the magnitude number, the dimmer is the star.The magnitude of stars may be apparent or absolute.


Why is the absolute magnitude of some stars greatar than their apparent magnitude?

The question is: Why is the apparent magnitude of some stars less than their absolute magnitude. Or: Why do some stars not look as bright as they really are ? The answer is: Because they're so far away from us.


What things must an astronomer measure to calculate a star's absolute brightness?

Telescopes, combined with spectroscopy are used for the colors. The apparent brightness can be measured using a telescope with a special "CCD camera". To measure the "real" brightness ("absolute magnitude") you also need to be able to work out the distance to the star.


Which one tells us how bright the stars would appear if all stars were at the same distance ferom the earth?

There are two terms used to describe a stars brightness, absolute magnitude and apparent magnitude. The one you want is absolute magnitude - this is where the stars distance from us is taken out of the equation, effectively comparing the stars brightness side by side from a set distance (10 parsecs or 32.6 light years). Apparent magnitude is the other measure, this is how bright a star apparently looks from Earth. The huge distances and range of distances involved means that you can have very bright stars (high absolute magnitude) that apparently look as bright as a much closer but dimmer (low absolute magnitude) star - their apparent magnitudes might be similar, but they may have vastly different absolute magnitudes.