Table of Contents
What happens if two stars have the same absolute magnitude?
For two stars with the same absolutely magnitude but different apparent magnitude, one star could be farther than the other. Extinction (the absorption or scattering of light) also affects apparent magnitude by making a star appear dimmer.
What does it mean when two stars have the same magnitude?
The smaller the distance between the observer and object, the greater the apparent brightness. (left) Two stars, A and B, with the same apparent magnitude. Two objects that have the same apparent magnitude, as seen from the Earth, may either be: At the same distance from the Earth, with the same luminosity.
Do all stars have the same absolute magnitude?
Although Rigel appears brighter than Deneb in the sky (it has a smaller apparent magnitude), they actually have the same real brightness (their absolute magnitudes are the same)….
Star | Alpha Centauri |
---|---|
mv | -0.3 |
Mv | 4.1 |
d (pc) | 1.3 |
Do stars that have the same absolute magnitude have the same luminosity?
To figure out luminosity from absolute magnitude, one must calculate that a difference of five on the absolute magnitude scale is equivalent to a factor of 100 on the luminosity scale — for instance, a star with an absolute magnitude of 1 is 100 times as luminous as a star with an absolute magnitude of 6.
When comparing two stars How is it that one star can have a higher apparent magnitude but a lower absolute magnitude?
Remember that the magnitude system is “backwards,” in that lower numbers mean brighter stars. Therefore, in the case where the star is closer than 10 parsecs, the apparent magnitude will be a lower number (brighter) than the absolute magnitude, and m – M will be a negative number.
Do stars with the same luminosity have the same absolute magnitude?
If we were observing our Sun from a distance of 10 pc, what would be its apparent and absolute magnitudes? Because a star’s apparent magnitude when viewed from a distance of 10 pc is the same of its absolute magnitude, both magnitudes would be the same.
What is the difference between magnitude and absolute magnitude?
Astronomers define star brightness in terms of apparent magnitude — how bright the star appears from Earth — and absolute magnitude — how bright the star appears at a standard distance of 32.6 light-years, or 10 parsecs.
Can two stars have the same apparent magnitude but different absolute magnitudes?
Similarly, two stars can have the same absolute magnitude, but if one is more distant than the other, the apparent magnitude of the most distant one will be higher (less light received). Originally Answered: How could two stars could have the same apparent magnitude but different absolute magnitudes?
How many light years apart can two stars be visible?
One is “apparent magnitude” which is how bright they appear from Earth, or Earth-oribiting telescopes, so two stars with the same apparent magnitude could be millions of lightyears apart, but the closer star would be much dimmer in terms of absolute magnitude.
These are related by with the distance allowing us a conversion from one to the other. Two stars can have the same apparent magnitude, but different absolute magnitude, if we measure the same amount of light from them, but they’re at a different distance from the Earth.
What is the absolute maginitude of a star?
The absolute maginitude is a measure of how bright a star would appear if it were 32.6 light years from earth, or 10 parsecs. Star magnitude is based on a fairly arbitrary scale; the Greek astronomer Hipparchus looked up at the sky and labeled the brightest star magnitude 1 and the faintest star magnitude 6.