Star A and star B both have an apparent magnitude of 4.0, but star A has an absolutemagnitude of 1.0 and star B has an absolute magnitude of 7.0. Which statement below is correct?
A)Star A appears brighter than star B, but actually star B and star A are the same brightness.
B)Star B appears brighter than star A, but actually star B and star A are the same brightness.
C)Star A and star B appear to have the same brightness, but actually star B is brighter than starA.
D)Star A and star B appear to have the same brightness, but actually star A is brighter than starB.
E)It is impossible to determine how bright these stars are or appear to be relative to one another,given the information above.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The apparent magnitude measures how bright a star appears from Earth, while the absolute magnitude measures how bright a star actually is, if all stars were at a standard distance from Earth. Since both stars have the same apparent magnitude, they appear equally bright from Earth. However, Star A has a lower absolute magnitude (1.0) than Star B (7.0), making Star A actually brighter than Star B, because in the scale of magnitudes, lower numbers indicate greater brightness.

Star a and Star B Both Have an Apparent Magnitude