Star A and star B both have an apparent magnitude of 7.0, but star A is at a distance of 15 pcand star B is at a distance of 30 pc. 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

C) Star A and star B appear to have the same brightness because they both have an apparent magnitude of 7.0. However, because star B is at a greater distance (30 pc) and still appears as bright as star A (which is at 15 pc), star B must actually be intrinsically brighter than star A to be seen as equally bright from Earth.

Star a and Star B Both Have an Apparent Magnitude