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Stellar Magnitudes

How Bright It Looks: Apparent Magnitude, How Bright It Really Is: Absolute Magnitude, The Nature Of The Magnitude Scale



Magnitude is the unit used in astronomy to describe a star's brightness in a particular portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Stars emit different amounts of radiation in different regions of the spectrum, so a star's brightness will differ from one part of the spectrum to the next. An important field of research in modern astronomy is the accurate measurement of stellar brightness in magnitudes in different parts of the spectrum.




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Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Spectroscopy to Stoma (pl. stomata)