Do stars that look brighter in the sky have larger or smaller magnitudes than fainter stars?

Question

Physics

Cason Boyle

2 February, 23:30

Do stars that look brighter in the sky have larger or smaller magnitudes than fainter stars?

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Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

John Hart · Answer 1

Stars that have lower apparent magnitudes have more brightness.

Explanation:

Greek astronomer Hipparchus devised a system of arranging the luminosity of stars with their apparent magnitude. The brightest stars were in the first magnitude class, and the dimmer stars were in the latter magnitude classes.

Later in the 19th century technology had developed to accurately measure a star's brightness. It was established that a factor of exactly 100 times in intensity was due to difference of 5 magnitudes.