What separates a star's Luminosity from its Apparent Magnitude?
Answer
Total light energy radiated versus observed brightness on Earth.
Luminosity defines the total quantity of light energy a star inherently radiates out into space, representing its true output capability. In contrast, apparent magnitude quantifies how bright that star actually appears to an observer situated here on Earth, factoring in all intervening conditions and distance. These two measurements are fundamentally different; a star can possess immense luminosity but appear dim due to extreme distance, or be low in luminosity yet appear relatively bright if it is very close, like the Sun.
#Videos
STAR BRIGHTNESS EXPLAINED - YouTube
Astronomers Think They Know Why Betelgeuse Got Dimmer
Related Questions
What separates a star's Luminosity from its Apparent Magnitude?What is the most common reason nearly all stars look faint from Earth?How much brighter is a star with a magnitude of 1 than one of magnitude 6?What color change is often seen when light passes through Interstellar Extinction dust?What obscured KIC 8462852 during its dramatic, aperiodic brightness dips?Which type of stellar variability has a predictable dimming cycle measured in Hours to Days?What causes the rapid bending of a star's light path resulting in Scintillation?Why does a star appear dimmer when observed near the horizon compared to overhead?For which dimming cause does the light reduction originate *from* the star itself?Which timescale is associated with Interstellar Dust dimming, unlike Atmospheric Turbulence?