APPARENT & ABSOLUTE VISUAL MAGNITUDE

Name: Skylar Meehan

OBJECTIVE
You will learn about apparent and absolute visual magnitudes and see how
astronomers use these terms in their work.

EQUIPMENT
Calculator, Stellarium software, a digital (or cell phone) camera.

INTRODUCTION
The apparent visual magnitude of a star is a brightness scale established by
early astronomers. It's since been refined by modern day astronomers and continues to
be used even in professional research. It is an inverted scale… the smaller the apparent
visual magnitude (mv), the brighter the star (with negative magnitudes indicating a
brighter star than positive magnitudes). For example, a very faint star might have an mv
of 5.0 whereas a bright star might have an mv of -1.0. The human eye can detect faint
stars with an mv of 6.0 assuming you're out in the country far away from city lights and
the Moon is not visible. A typical amateur telescope can detect stars with an mv of 13.0.
Large professional telescopes can detect stars with an mv of 22.0.

Barnard's star has an mv of 9.54. This means you cannot see this star with the
naked eye even in the best of viewing conditions, but you can easily see it with an
amateur telescope. The star 61 Cygni has an mv of 5.22. This means you can probably
see this star with the naked eye but it's near the limit. You'll probably have to go out in
the country to see it.

When modern day astronomers refined the apparent visual magnitude scale for
professional use, they introduced negative values for mv. For example, the star Sirius
has an mv of -1.46. Compared to Luyten 789-6 with an mv of 12.18, Sirius is very bright.
Luyten 789-6 requires an amateur telescope to observe whereas Sirius is easily visible
to the naked eye even in a large city or during a moonlit sky - in fact, Sirius is the
brightest star in the night sky.

The Sun has an mv of -26.72. This makes the Sun much brighter than Sirius
from our perspective on Earth. But Sirius is 8.6 light-years from us, meaning it takes
light 8.6 years to travel from Sirius to Earth. However, light from the sun reaches us in
only 8 minutes! Whereas the Sun is 93 million miles from us, Sirius is 50 trillion miles
away. How bright would the Sun appear if it were as far away as Sirius? Compared to
some other stars, Sirius is actually among the closer stars. Is its brightness due to its
closeness or is it really and truly an intrinsically bright star?

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 To answer questions like this, astronomers have defined another term called the
Absolute Visual Magnitude, Mv. This is the brightness of a star if it were at a distance of
10 parsecs from earth. (One parsec = 3.04 x 10 13 km = 3.26 light years). Since
Absolute and Apparent Visual magnitude have the same initials, astronomers now
denote Apparent Visual magnitude with a lower case “m” and Absolute Visual
Magnitude with an upper case “M.” The advantage of knowing Mv is that since all stars
are assumed to be at the same distance, it allows us to figure out how truly bright the
star is. In effect, it “levels the playing field” by putting all stars at the same distance.

Practice Questions:
1. Polaris (the North Star) has an apparent magnitude of 2. 61 Cygni’s is 6.
a. Can either (or both) stars be seen with the naked eye?

b. Which of the two is brighter?

2. Alpha Centauri is 1.7 pc away. If you moved it to 10 pc away, would its apparent
magnitude become a lower or a higher number?

3. Same question as #2, but would the absolute magnitude become a lower or
higher number?

4. The star HR 551 is 10 pc from the sun and has an absolute magnitude of 5.6.
What is the star’s apparent magnitude?

Answers to Practice Questions

1. a. A magnitude of 6 or less can be seen with the naked eye, so both stars would
be visible to the naked eye. b. Magnitude is an inverse scale – lower numbers mean
brighter objects. Since 2 is less than 6, that means Polaris looks brighter than 61 Cygni.

2. Moving it from 1.7 pc to 10 pc is moving it further away. Moving something

further away makes it look dimmer. Dimmer magnitudes are higher numbers, so the star’s
apparent magnitude would become a higher number.

3. A star’s absolute magnitude is its actual brightness. How bright something really
is does not depend on how far away it is from us (a 100 W light bulb is still 100 W
regardless of whether or not it is 2 m away, or 10 miles away). So Alpha Centauri’s
absolute magnitude would not change if you moved it from 1.7 pc to 10 pc further away.
(It’s kind of a trick question.)

4. By definition, a star’s absolute magnitude is what its apparent magnitude would

be if it were exactly 10 pc away from the sun. Since this star is 10 pc away, that means
its absolute magnitude must be equal to its apparent magnitude, by definition. So the
apparent magnitude would be 5.6

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PROCEDURE
Enter your answers to each question in the provided boxes below. When completed,
please save and upload this file to Canvas.

PRELAB QUESTIONS

1. The apparent visual magnitude of Canopus is –0.6 and that of Hadar is +0.6. Which
star is brighter? How do you know?

Canopus is brighter because -.6 is lower than .6 and magnitude bing an inverse scale

2. What is the absolute visual magnitude of a star?

The actual brightness of a star.

3. Epsilon Eridani has an apparent visual magnitude of + 3.7. Will it will be visible with
the naked eye? How do you know?
Yes, 3.7<6 and apparent brightness is from the viewpoint of Earth.

4. Ross 128 has an apparent visual magnitude of +11.1. Will it will be visible with the
naked eye? How do you know?
No, 11.1>6 and apparent brightness is from the viewpoint of Earth.

5. Ross 128 is 3.4 parsecs from us. If it were moved to 10 parsecs, would it appear
brighter or dimmer? Why?
dimmer because further objects seem dimmer due to the spreading of light

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EXERCISE

In this lab, we will use Stellarium find information about individual stars. First, you will
need to start the program. After the program has started, move your cursor to the left
side of your screen to bring up the vertical menu, and click the “Sky and viewing options
window” icon. Click the “Sky” tab, and un-check the box that says “Show atmosphere”.
Daylight should fade and stars should now be visible (although the sun may still be
displayed in the sky). You can move around by simply clicking on the screen and
moving the mouse. We also need to remove the ground from the screen. To do this,
open the Sky and viewing options window again, and click on the “Landscape” tab.
Now, un-check the boxes labeled “Show ground” and “Show fog”. This should remove
the ground from the screen. Close the Sky and viewing options window, and now you
are ready to start the exercise.

Part A – Collect, manipulate, graph, and analyze data. Use analysis to evaluate a
hypothesis.

Let’s test a hypothesis suggested by a know-it-all friend. You know from your
studies in Astronomy that this hypothesis is not correct, but you have the task of
convincing your friend. Your friend insists on the Hypothesis that: “A star is a
star. All stars have the same intrinsic brightness. The reason why they appear to
have different magnitudes is because they are at different distances from the
Earth. This means a star close to the Earth will always be brighter than a star far
away. Therefore, knowing the apparent visual magnitude of a star tells you the
distance that star is from the Earth.”

1) Below in Data Table 1 is a list of 22 of the brightest stars in the night sky. To
test your friend’s hypothesis, we will use Stellarium to gather information on
this group of stars. First, open the “Search window” from the vertical menu on
the left side of the screen. To find an object, simple type the name of the
object in the box, and press “Enter” on your keyboard. Stellarium will
automatically move your view over to that object. The first star in Data Table 1
is Sirius. Type this star name in the box in the Search window and press
“Enter”. Stellarium should now move to Sirius. Information on this object is
displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. Use this method to find and
record the distance, apparent magnitude mv (Stellarium refers to this as just
“Magnitude”), and absolute magnitude Mv for each star in Data Table 1 –
stars Sirius and Spica have been entered and calculated for you as
examples. Calculate the distance in Parsecs (pc) using the conversion: 1 pc =
3.26 ly.

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Data Table 1
Star Distance (ly) Distance (pc) mV MV
Sirius 8.6 2.64 -1.45 1.44
Canopus 309.15 94.79 -0.65 -5.53
Rigil Kent 4.39 1.35 0.10 4.45
Arcturus 36.71 11.26 0.15 -0.11
Vega 25.04 7.68 0.00 0.57
Capella 42.80 13.12 0.05 -0.54
Rigel 862.85 264.55 0.15 -6.96
Procyon 11.46 3.51 0.4 2.67
Betelgeuse 497.95 152.67 0.45 -5.47
Achernar 139.44 42.75 0.45 -2.70
Hadar 525.21 161.03 0.55 -5.48
Altair 16.73 5.13 0.75 2.20
Acrux 320.70 98.33 1.25 -3.71
Aldebaran 66.64 20.43 0.85 -0.70
Spica 249.74 76.61 0.95 -3.47
Antares 553.75 169.78 1.05 -5.10
Pollux 33.78 10.36 1.15 1.07
Fomalhaut 25.13 7.70 1.15 1.72
Deneb 1411.93 432.90 1.25 -6.93
Mimosa 278.53 85.40 1.25 -3.41
Regulus 79.30 24.31 1.35 -0.58
Adhara 405.16 124.22 1.50 -3.97

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2) We will now plot a graph of our data to test your friend’s hypothesis. Using the
graph paper provided for Graph #1, for each of the stars in the data set, plot mV
(y-axis) vs. distance (pc) (x-axis). It may be helpful in your analysis to label the
data points with the name of the star they belong to. The stars Sirius and Spica
have been plotted for you.

Mimosa Regulus

3) Review your friend’s hypothesis and analyze Graph #1.

a. Name two stars with very similar apparent magnitudes that are at very
different distances from the Earth.
Mimosa and Regulus.
b. If your friend’s hypothesis was correct, would you expect the more distant
star to look brighter or fainter in our sky?
No you'd expect more distant stars to be dimmer.

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 c. Both stars have very similar apparent magnitudes. What does this tell you
about how bright they look in our sky (one complete sentence)?
This tells you that they have the same apparent brightness in our sky.
d. Based on your answers to b and c, what can you conclude about your
friend’s hypothesis (one complete sentence)?
My friend's hypothesis is flawed and needs reconsideration.

Part B – Manipulate, graph, and analyze data. Use analysis to evaluate a hypothesis.

To teach your friend some astronomy, you present another hypothesis, opposite
the one he suggested. Your hypothesis: “Stars do not all have the same intrinsic
brightness. The reason why they appear to have different magnitudes is
because they are at different distances from the Earth and have different intrinsic
brightness. Therefore, in order to determine the distance a star is from the Earth
you need to know both the absolute visual magnitude (Mv) and the apparent
visual magnitude (mv) of that star.” To test this hypothesis, we will calculate mV –
MV for each star. This value is called the Distance Modulus.

1) Use the data that you collected in Data Table 1 to complete Data Table 2.

Data Table 2
Star mV – MV Star mV – MV
Sirius -2.89 Altair -1.55
Canopus 4.98 Acrux 4.96
Rigil Kent -3.35 Aldebaran 1.55
Arcturus 0.26 Spica 4.42
Vega 0.57 Antares 6.15
Capella 0.59 Pollux 0.08
Rigel 7.11 Fomalhaut -0.58
Procyon -2.27 Deneb 8.18
Betelgeuse 5.92 Mimosa 4.66
Achernar 3.15 Regulus 1.93
Hadar 6.03 Adhara 5.47

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2) We will now plot a graph of our data to test your hypothesis. Using the graph
paper provided for Graph #2, for each of the stars, plot distance modulus (mV -
MV) (y-axis) vs. distance (pc) (x-axis). Again, it may be helpful in your analysis to
label the data points with the name of the star they belong to. (Note, the two
furthest stars, Deneb and Rigel cannot be plotted on this graph.) The stars Sirius
and Spica have been plotted for you.

Adhara

3) Review your hypothesis and Graph #2. In a paragraph discuss the validity of
your hypothesis given what Graph #2 shows you. Use two stars plotted on
Graph #2 to prove the validity of your hypothesis (i.e. cite actual distance and
distance modulus values that support your hypothesis). Hint: Follow the pattern
outlined in 1a-1d above when composing the paragraph to answer this question,
but remember now that you are discussing the relationship between distance and
distance modulus, not distance and apparent magnitude (apparent
magnitude/brightness does not factor into this discussion!).

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 In graph 2 I demonstrated the relationship of distance (x) to distance modulus
(y). Distance has a clear relationship to distance modulus specifically one of a
√x. Take for example Adhara, Spica, and Sirius for an example of the curve.

Part C – Graph data and use graph (interpolation) to analyze other stars.

You may have noticed that several of your data points, at small distances, in
Graph #2 were very close together even after scaling the graph to leave off the
two most distance stars from our data set. The distances of the stars we plotted
covered a very large range and as a result some of the detail at small distances
is difficult to discern.

1) To better analyze the relationship between distance and distance modulus for
all distances in this range, you will now plot the data from Graph #2 again, but
this time on semi-logarithmic axes, Graph #3. On our graph paper, the y-axis is
still linear and the interval between markings is still 0.5. However, the intervals
along the x-axis are now logarithmic. Between the markings 1 and 10, each
interval is 1, but between 10 and 100 each interval is 10, and between 100 and
1000 each interval is 100.
a. Label each line on the x-axis with the appropriate number.
b. For each of the stars in our data set, plot distance modulus (mV - MV) (y-
axis) vs. distance (pc) (x-axis). This time, do not label your data points with
the name of the star they belong to. Sirius and Spica have been plotted for
you as examples.
c. Using a ruler or straight edge, draw a “best fit” line through your data points on
Graph #3.

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Some Practice Problems:
Keep in mind that depending on how you’ve drawn your Graph #3, you might get
slightly different answers than what I get. That’s okay – in the answers to these
practice problems, I will even tell you about what range of answers is
appropriate. You must record your answers to the Practice Problems!

1) Suppose a star is known to be 60 pc from Earth, and its apparent visual

magnitude mv = 4. Using Graph #3, estimate the distance modulus mv – Mv for
the star, and then determine Mv.

mV - MV = 3.7

MV = .3

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2) A star is known to have an apparent magnitude of 2.5. Based on its spectrum,
it is known to be a very old form of star called a “horizontal branch” star, with
an absolute magnitude of 0.5. Determine the distance modulus for this star,
and from that figure out the distance to the star.

mV - MV = 2

d = 25

Answers to Practice Problems:

1) On graph #3, distance is along the x-axis. Notice that 60 pc is the 5th line after
10. Using a ruler or straight edge, go straight up from this line until you intersect
your “best fit” line on Graph #3. Make a very light mark on your line, and then
use the mark and your ruler to read off the corresponding value on the y-axis.
My ruler, placed horizontally, was just below 4.0, so I’d call it a distance
modulus of 3.9. Therefore:

mv – Mv = 3.9 (Depending on your line, really anything between 3.5 and 4.3 is
pretty reasonable)

The value for mv is given (4), and the distance modulus is literally a subtraction
problem, so 4 – Mv = 3.9. If you solve that equation for Mv (add Mv to both sides
and subtract 3.9 from both) you get:

Mv = 0.1 (Depending on your distance modulus, between 0.5 and -0.3 is fine)

2) You’re given both mv and Mv, making the distance modulus nothing but a direct
subtraction problem:

mv – Mv = 2.5 – 0.5 = 2.0 (This is a math problem using given values, so there’s
really no leeway here.)

Now, using a ruler, start at the y-axis at 2.0, and read horizontally across to
your best fit line. Then, from the line, read down to the x-axis (and the
distances). On my graph, that put me a little over halfway between 20 and 30
pc, implying a distance of about 25 pc.

d = 25 pc (Realistically your line would likely give you between 20 pc and about
30 pc, depending on how it’s drawn. Values outside of that probably indicate
your data points are not plotted correctly or your line isn’t that well drawn…)

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Actual Problems
1) Let us use Graph #3 to determine some absolute visual magnitudes.
Suppose a star is known to be 3 pc from Earth and its apparent visual magnitude
mV = 2. From the graph, draw a vertical line from the 3 pc point on the x-axis up
to the curve, and read the distance modulus mV - MV. Then determine MV.

mV - MV = -2.45

MV = 4.45

2) Denebola in the constellation Leo lies at a distance of 13 pc and has mV =

2.1. Find its MV.

mV - MV = 0.80

MV = 1.3

3) In the Big Dipper, marking the junction of the bowl to the handle, lies the star
Megrez. Its distance is 20 pc and it is the faintest of all the Big Dipper stars with
mV = 3.3. Find its MV.

mV - MV = 2.5

MV = 0.8

4) Sometimes a star’s distance is not known but its absolute visual magnitude
can be calculated by other means. We can then use the distance modulus and
graph 2 to find its distance. The star Sigma Libra has an apparent visual
magnitude of +3.31 and an absolute visual magnitude of +1.9. Calculate the
distance modulus and use Graph #3 to determine the distance to this star.

mV - MV = 1.41

d = 16

5) The star Iota Ursa Major (sometimes called "Talita") has an apparent visual
magnitude of +3.12. Its absolute visual magnitude is +2.22. Calculate the
distance modulus and use Graph #3 to determine the distance to this star.

mV - MV = 0.90

d = 15

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6) Suppose a star is known to be 10 pc from the Earth and its apparent visual
magnitude has been measured to be +4.30. Use Graph #3 to determine the
absolute visual magnitude of the star.

mV - MV = 0.15

MV = 4.45

7) Suppose a star is known to be 3 pc from the Earth and its absolute visual
magnitude is +8.70. Use Graph #3 to determine the apparent visual magnitude
of the star.

mV - MV = -2.45

mV = 6.25

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