Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In astronomy, absolute magnitude (M) is a measure of the luminosity of a celestial object on an inverse logarithmic astronomical magnitude scale; the more luminous (intrinsically bright) an object, the lower its magnitude number. An object's absolute magnitude is defined to be equal to the apparent magnitude that the object would have if it ...
The primary has magnitude 4.53 and the secondary's magnitude is 4.31, but both have absolute magnitude 0.6. [7] The system's orbital period is 760 years; currently the two components are moving farther apart. [8] θ Aquarii, sometimes called Ancha, [5] is spectral type G8 with apparent magnitude 4.16 and an absolute magnitude 1.4. [7]
Zeta Aquarii (ζ Aquarii, ζ Aqr) is the Bayer designation for a triple star system, [7] the central star of the "water jar" asterism [9] in the equatorial constellation of Aquarius. The combined apparent visual magnitude of this system is 3.65, [ 2 ] which is readily visible to the naked eye.
An illustration of light sources from magnitude 1 to 3.5, in 0.5 increments. In astronomy, magnitude is a measure of the brightness of an object, usually in a defined passband. An imprecise but systematic determination of the magnitude of objects was introduced in ancient times by Hipparchus. Magnitude values do not have a unit.
absolute magnitude A measure of a star 's absolute brightness. It is defined as the apparent magnitude the star would show if it were located at a distance of 10 parsecs, or 32.6 light-years. accretion disk A roughly circular mass of diffuse material in orbit around a central object, such as a star or black hole. The material is acquired from a ...
For example, 3C 273 has an average apparent magnitude of 12.8 (when observing with a telescope), but an absolute magnitude of −26.7. If this object were 10 parsecs away from Earth it would appear nearly as bright in the sky as the Sun (apparent magnitude −26.744).
The distance modulus = is the difference between the apparent magnitude (ideally, corrected from the effects of interstellar absorption) and the absolute magnitude of an astronomical object. It is related to the luminous distance d {\displaystyle d} in parsecs by: log 10 ( d ) = 1 + μ 5 μ = 5 log 10 ( d ) − 5 {\displaystyle {\begin ...
The brightness usually refers the object's absolute magnitude, which, in turn, is its apparent magnitude at a distance of one astronomical unit from the Earth and Sun. The phase curve is useful for characterizing an object's regolith (soil) and atmosphere. It is also the basis for computing the geometrical albedo and the Bond albedo of the body.