If the average quasar has a luminosity of 10¹⁴ L _$\odot$ and an absolute magnitude of -30, and you discover one that has an apparent magnitude of +10, then what is its distance? A) 10,000 Mpc B) 5,000 Mpc C) 1,000 Mpc D) 500 Mpc E) 0.1 Mpc

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We can use the distance modulus equation to find the distance to the quasar:

m - M = 5log(d/10)

where m is the apparent magnitude, M is the absolute magnitude, and d is the distance in parsecs.

Plugging in the given values, we get:

F1F1F1S1F1F1F1010 - F1F1F1S1F1F1F1030 = 5log(d/10)

20 = 5log(d/10)

d/10 = 10^4

d = 10^5 parsecs = 1000 Mpc

Therefore, the best choice is C) 1,000 Mpc.

If the Average Quasar Has a Luminosity of 1014 L ⊙\odot⊙

If the Average Quasar Has a Luminosity of 10¹⁴ L $\odot$