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

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

This plant obviously was chosen by the Lord, not on account of its absolute magnitude, but because it was, and was recognized to be, a striking instance of increase from very small to very great.

From Jesus the Christ A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern by James Edward Talmage

Differences of absolute magnitude, density, period of revolution, eccentricity, and inclination of the orbits.

From COSMOS: A Sketch of the Physical Description of the Universe, Vol. 1 by Alexander von Humboldt

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

We may go further and answer that all stars with an absolute magnitude brighter than 6m must be contained in this list.

From Lectures on Stellar Statistics by Carl Vilhelm Ludvig Charlier

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