apparent magnitude
noun
: the luminosity of a celestial body (such as a star) as observed from the earth compare absolute magnitude
Examples of apparent magnitude in a Sentence
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There are different types of magnitudes but the ones listed below are in apparent magnitude, or how bright a star or other object in the sky looks to someone observing from Earth.
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Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
The two teams in the 1990s chose to plot redshift (velocity) on the x axis and apparent magnitude (distance) on the y axis.
—Richard Panek, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023
The fifth brightest star in the night sky and about 25 light-years away, this blue star is a yardstick for judging the apparent magnitude, or brightness, of stars.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 5 June 2022
Vega is how the apparent magnitude of stars—their brightness—is measured.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 31 May 2021
For example, Neptune has an apparent magnitude of about 7.7.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 2 July 2020
The dimmest stars humans can see with the naked eye have an apparent magnitude (intrinsic magnitude modified by distance) of about 6 (lower numbers are brighter).
—Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, 26 Mar. 2018
Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
The two teams in the 1990s chose to plot redshift (velocity) on the x axis and apparent magnitude (distance) on the y axis.
—Richard Panek, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023
The fifth brightest star in the night sky and about 25 light-years away, this blue star is a yardstick for judging the apparent magnitude, or brightness, of stars.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 5 June 2022
Vega is how the apparent magnitude of stars—their brightness—is measured.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 31 May 2021
For example, Neptune has an apparent magnitude of about 7.7.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 2 July 2020
The dimmest stars humans can see with the naked eye have an apparent magnitude (intrinsic magnitude modified by distance) of about 6 (lower numbers are brighter).
—Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, 26 Mar. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apparent magnitude.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near apparent magnitude
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“Apparent magnitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apparent%20magnitude. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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