Hi, I have this question that I will be tested on but my teacher didn't teach us how to do it so I am confused on how to even start.
Please explain on how to start the question...thank you
How bright a star appears can depend on how much light the star actually emits and how far away it is. The stellar magnitude scale can be adjusted to account for distance as follows:
M2-M1 = log(b1/b2)
Here, M refers to a star's absolute magnitude, that is, how brightly it appears from a standard distance of 10 parsecs (or 32.6 light-years). The absolute brightness of Sirius is 1.4 and the absolute brightness of Betelgeuse is -8.1
a) Which of these two stars is brighter, in absolute terms, and by how much?
b) Compare this result with you answer to part a. What does this suggest about these two stars distance from Earth?
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