luminosity
Sign in to savethumb|The Sun has an intrinsic luminosity of . In astronomy, this amount is equal to one [[solar luminosity, represented by the symbol L⊙. A star with four times the radiative power of the Sun has a luminosity of .]] Luminosity is an absolute measure of radiated electromagnetic energy per unit time, and is synonymous with the radiant power emitted by a light-emitting object. In astronomy, luminosity is the total amount of electromagnetic energy emitted per unit of time by a star, galaxy, or other astronomical objects.
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Luminosity is the total amount of electromagnetic energy that a star or other astronomical object emits per unit of time—essentially, how much light and energy it radiates into space. Astronomers use this measurement to compare the intrinsic brightness of different objects, such as the Sun, which serves as a reference point called one solar luminosity.
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Article
9 sectionsContents
- Measurement
- Stellar luminosity
- Radio luminosity
- Luminosity formulae
- Relationship to magnitude
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|The Sun has an intrinsic luminosity of . In astronomy, this amount is equal to one [[solar luminosity, represented by the symbol L⊙. A star with four times the radiative power of the Sun has a luminosity of .]] Luminosity is an absolute measure of radiated electromagnetic energy per unit time, and is synonymous with the radiant power emitted by a light-emitting object. In astronomy, luminosity is the total amount of electromagnetic energy emitted per unit of time by a star, galaxy, or other astronomical objects.
In SI units, luminosity is measured in joules per second, or watts. In astronomy, values for luminosity are often given in the terms of the luminosity of the Sun, L⊙. Luminosity can also be given in terms of the astronomical magnitude system: the absolute bolometric magnitude (Mbol) of an object is a logarithmic measure of its total energy emission rate, while absolute magnitude is a logarithmic measure of the luminosity within some specific wavelength range or filter band.