Stellar magnitudes

Audio Guide:

Brightness and luminosity are two completely different concepts. Brightness refers to the brightness of an astronomical object that we have observed, which can be expressed by "apparent magnitude." Brightness is related to distance. The farther a star, the lower its brightness. On the other hand, luminosity refers to the total energy radiated from a star. Luminosity is related to the astronomical object itself, not distance. “Absolute Magnitude” is the brightness of a star at a presupposed distance of 32.6 light years.

Exhibit Introduction:

Models are provided for the visitors to operate to choose and compare two stars with different distances and same magnitude. Their magnitude might appear differently at the same distance. The visitors can operate themselves to deepen the impression.