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Chapter 17: Problem 8

Why is the magnitude scale called a "backward" scale? What is the difference between apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The magnitude scale is called a 'backward' scale because the brighter a celestial object is, the lower its assigned numerical value. Apparent magnitude measures how bright a celestial object appears from Earth and can be influenced by distance and intervening matter. Absolute magnitude, on the other hand, denotes the intrinsic brightness of an object; its value indicates how bright the object would appear if it were situated 10 parsecs away from the observer.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Magnitude Scale

The magnitude scale is a logarithmic scale used to quantify the brightness of celestial objects. It is called a \"backwards\" scale because the brighter an object is, the lower its numerical value. For example, an object with a magnitude of 1 is much brighter than an object with a magnitude of 6.
02

Identifying Apparent Magnitude

Apparent magnitude is a measure of how bright a celestial object appears from Earth. It is subject to variability based on distance and intervening matter. If two celestial bodies have the same apparent magnitude, it means they appear to have the same brightness from Earth, irrespective of their actual luminosities or distances from Earth.
03

Identifying Absolute Magnitude

Absolute magnitude refers to the inherent brightness of a celestial object. It is the brightness that an object would have if it were placed 10 parsecs (about 32.6 light years) away from the observer. When comparing absolute magnitudes of celestial bodies, the one with the lower absolute magnitude is intrinsically brighter.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Astronomers usually express a star's color using apparent magnitudes. The star's apparent magnitude as viewed through a B filter is called \(m_{\mathrm{B}}\), and its apparent magnitude as viewed through a V filter is \(m_{\mathrm{V}}\). The difference \(m_{\mathrm{B}}-m_{\mathrm{V}}\) is called the \(B-V\) color index ("B minus \(V\) "). Is the \(B-V\) color index positive or negative for very hot stars? What about very cool stars? Explain your answers.

The star HD 3651 shown in Figure 17-13 has a mass of \(0.79 \mathrm{M}_{\odot}\). Its brown dwarf companion, HD \(3651 \mathrm{~B}\), has about 40 times the mass of Jupiter. The average distance between the two stars is about \(480 \mathrm{AU}\). How long does it take the two stars to complete one orbit around each other?

Find the average distance from the Sun to Neptune in parsecs. Compared to Neptune, how many times farther away from the Sun is Proxima Centauri?

Which is more massive, a red main-sequence star or a blue main-sequence star? Which has the greater radius? Explain your answers.

Why are measurements of stellar parallax difficult to make? What are the advantages of making these measurements from orbit?
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