11-2 Magnitude Scales

Question 1

apparent brightness (m)

Answer 1

amount of light received on earth or a satellite from a star and measured with CCD cameras. it does not take into account distance. the smaller the number the brighter the star. it is not a fundamental property of the star and decreases inversely with the square of the distance between the source and the observer

Question 2

the brightest star

Answer 2

sirius is the brightest star, with a magnitude of -1.44

Question 3

how many stars of magnitude 6 produce as much light as one with magnitude 1?

Answer 3

100 stars of magnitude 6 produce as much light as 1 star of magnitude 1

Question 4

stars visible to the naked eye

Answer 4

stars visible to the naked eye have magnitudes between m= -1.44 and m= 6

Question 5

magnitude scales

Answer 5

it takes 2.512 stars of magnitude 2 to shine as bright as one of magnitude 1; 2.512 stars of 3 to shine as much as a 2, etc.