absolute magnitude

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. the magnitude of a star as it would appear to a hypothetical observer at a distance of 10 parsecs or 32.6 light-years.

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absolute magnitude British  

noun

1. the apparent magnitude a given star would have if it were situated at a distance of 10 parsecs (32.6 light years) from the earth

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absolute magnitude Scientific  

1. See under at magnitude

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Etymology

Origin of absolute magnitude

First recorded in 1900–05

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Compare meaning

How does absolute-magnitude compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• apparent magnitude vs. absolute magnitude

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

absolute magnitude

Its absolute magnitude is -0m.3, i.e., fainter than the apparent magnitude, from which we may conclude that it has a distance from us smaller than one siriometer.

From Lectures on Stellar Statistics by Carl Vilhelm Ludvig Charlier

By this method the absolute magnitude, and hence the distance of a star is accurately determined from estimates of the relative intensities of certain lines in stellar spectra.

From Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies by David Peck Todd

The absolute magnitude of this star is 11m.7 and it is, with the exception of one other, the very faintest star now known.

From Lectures on Stellar Statistics by Carl Vilhelm Ludvig Charlier

We conclude that the number of stars having an absolute magnitude brighter than 6m amounts to 8.

From Lectures on Stellar Statistics by Carl Vilhelm Ludvig Charlier

The absolute magnitude of a star is inferred from the relative intensities of certain lines in its spectrum, so that the observed apparent magnitude at once enables us to calculate the distance of the star.

From Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies by David Peck Todd

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