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Deriving a theoretically exact mass/luminosity relation requires finding the energy generation equation and building a thermodynamic model of the inside of a star. However, the basic relation L ∝ M 3 can be derived using some basic physics and simplifying assumptions. [ 9 ]
A star also radiates neutrinos, which carry off some energy (about 2% in the case of the Sun), contributing to the star's total luminosity. [5] The IAU has defined a nominal solar luminosity of 3.828 × 10 26 W to promote publication of consistent and comparable values in units of the solar luminosity. [6]
L ★ is the star's luminosity (bolometric luminosity) in watts L 0 is the zero point luminosity 3.0128 × 10 28 W M bol is the bolometric magnitude of the star
Astronomers use the term "flux" for what is often called "intensity" in physics, in order to avoid confusion with the specific intensity. Using this formula, the magnitude scale can be extended beyond the ancient magnitude 1–6 range, and it becomes a precise measure of brightness rather than simply a classification system.
The luminosity thus obtained is known as the bolometric luminosity. Masses are often calculated from the dynamics of the virialized system or from gravitational lensing . Typical mass-to-light ratios for galaxies range from 2 to 10 ϒ ☉ while on the largest scales, the mass to light ratio of the observable universe is approximately 100 ϒ ...
This implies that a star of magnitude m is about 2.512 times as bright as a star of magnitude m + 1. This figure, the fifth root of 100 , became known as Pogson's Ratio. [ 9 ] The 1884 Harvard Photometry and 1886 Potsdamer Duchmusterung star catalogs popularized Pogson's ratio, and eventually it became a de facto standard in modern astronomy to ...
The Eddington limit is not a strict limit on the luminosity of a stellar object. The limit does not consider several potentially important factors, and super-Eddington objects have been observed that do not seem to have the predicted high mass-loss rate. Other factors that might affect the maximum luminosity of a star include: Porosity.
The white dwarf luminosity function (WDLF) gives the number of white dwarf stars with a given luminosity. As this is determined by the rates at which these stars form and cool, it is of interest for the information it gives about the physics of white dwarf cooling and the age and history of the Galaxy. [3] [4]