Question

In: Physics

The Sun has an apparent magnitude of -26.74. The closest star system to us, Alpha Centauri,...

The Sun has an apparent magnitude of -26.74. The closest star system to us, Alpha Centauri, has an apparent magnitude of +0.01 and a luminosity of 1.1519 times that of the Sun. How much brighter is the Sun compared to Alpha Centauri? How close is this star system to us?

Solutions

Expert Solution

Apparent magnitude of Sun, m1 = - 26.74

Apparent magnitude of Alpha Centauri, m2 = + 0.01

Let L2 and L1 be the luminosity of Alpha Centauri and the Sun respectively

Since the apparent magnitude of Sun is lower than that of Alpha Centauri, Therefore, Sun is more brighter.

How much brighter, is given by going through the relation that exist between their apparent magnitude and the flux.

(because, how much brighter a star really is, is determined by it's flux)

where F1 and F2 are the flux of Sun and Alpha Centauri

Putiing the values of m1 and m2

Therefore, Sun is about 5.01 * 1010 times brighter than the Alpha Centauri

Now, By the relation of Flux and Luminosity

where F is the flux, L is luminosity and D is the distance from the star

Dividing first by second : -

Putting values of F1 / F2 and L1 / L2 in relation above : -

Therefore, Alpha Centauri star system is about 2.402 * 105 times far as compared to the Sun.


Related Solutions

The closest known star to our solar system is Alpha Centauri, which is approximately 4.30 light...
The closest known star to our solar system is Alpha Centauri, which is approximately 4.30 light years away. Spaceship A, with a constant speed of 0.800c relative to the Earth and a proper length of 100 m, travels from Earth to this star. Spaceship B with a constant speed of 0.600c relative to the Earth travels from Earth to this star. (a) How much time would elapse during Spaceship A’s trip on a clock on Earth? (b) How much time...
1) Star A has an apparent magnitude of 0.5, and star B has an apparent magnitude...
1) Star A has an apparent magnitude of 0.5, and star B has an apparent magnitude of 3.0. Which star is brighter and how much brighter is that star than the dimmer star? 2) A star has an apparent magnitude of 2.5 but an absolute magnitude of -0.5. what is the distance to the star?
Question 4: Alpha Centauri is a binary star system (the two individual stars are called Alpha...
Question 4: Alpha Centauri is a binary star system (the two individual stars are called Alpha Centauri A and B) that is part of a triple star system (the third star is Proxima Centauri). This is the closest star system to the Sun. Alpha Centauri A and B are so close that if they are viewed with the naked eye they are seen as one star from the Earth. The absolute magnitude of Alpha Centauri A is 4.4, while the...
A star with apparent visual magnitude mV = 3.5, absolute magnitude MB = 2.0 has parallax...
A star with apparent visual magnitude mV = 3.5, absolute magnitude MB = 2.0 has parallax of 0.03 arcseconds. Does this star look red or blue in the sky? Estimate its spectral type.
1. a) The star μ Cephei has an apparent magnitude of +4.73 in the V-band. How...
1. a) The star μ Cephei has an apparent magnitude of +4.73 in the V-band. How many times brighter is its apparent brightness in the V-band than in the B-band if its B-V color index is +2.35? b) Explain how μ Cephei’s apparent R-band magnitude of +1.98 demon- strates why this star is also known as the Crimson Star. c) Given that μ Cephei has a luminosity of 3.7 · 105L⊙, estimate this star’s absolute magnitude given its distance of...
spaceship travels at a speed of 0.95c to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light years...
spaceship travels at a speed of 0.95c to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light years (ly) away. How long does the trip take from the point of view of the passengers on the ship? A. 1.4 ly B. 1.0 ly C. 4.5 ly D. 14 ly E. 0.44 ly
The motion of the Alpha Centauri system has a radial component of 20 km/s towards the...
The motion of the Alpha Centauri system has a radial component of 20 km/s towards the Sun. What is the measured Doppler shift in the spectral lines? (give your answer as a percentage of the speed of sound either towards the blue or the red). With a measured proper motion of 3.7 arcsec/year (or 3.7”/yr) at a distance of 1.3 pc, what is the true space motion velocity of the Alpha Centauri system? Pick Alpha Centauri A, from a HR...
<Basic Physics (Conceptual)> 1. Look up the distance to the nearby star Alpha Centauri. And look...
<Basic Physics (Conceptual)> 1. Look up the distance to the nearby star Alpha Centauri. And look up the distance to the center of the Milky Way. Convert (or get) both of those distances in light years. Now imagine traveling to both of those places in a spaceship that can travel at half the speed of light. To answer these questions, you might want to look up “length contraction”. In the frame of reference of that spaceship, traveling to Alpha Centauri,...
Using Stellarium or SIMBAD, find the star Diphda. Which value is closest to its B-band magnitude?...
Using Stellarium or SIMBAD, find the star Diphda. Which value is closest to its B-band magnitude? 2.00 3.01 1.01 –0.35 0.99 –0.99
A certain red giant star has a luminosity of 100,000 times that of the Sun and...
A certain red giant star has a luminosity of 100,000 times that of the Sun and is located 600 light-years from Earth. If the apparent magnitude of the star is observed to be m=0, calculate the rate of interstellar extinction in the direction of the star. If someone could show me step by step how to solve this I would be appreciative.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT