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Why astronomers need absolute magnitude

Why astronomers need absolute magnitude

Schematic showing Earth, a star at its actual distance with apparent magnitude m, and the same star placed at the standard distance of 10 pc with absolute magnitude M

Apparent magnitude, mmm, tells us how bright a star looks from Earth, but that depends on both distance and true brightness. A nearby dim star can appear brighter than a very luminous star that is much farther away.

Absolute magnitude, *M* (A-level only) Lesson

  1. A Level
  2. /Physics
  3. /Absolute magnitude, *M* (A-level only)