Absolute Magnitude Calculator

What is Absolute Magnitude?

Absolute magnitude (M) is a measure of the intrinsic brightness of a celestial object. It is defined as the apparent magnitude that the object would have if it were placed at a standard distance of 10 parsecs from the observer.

How to Use the Calculator

1. Enter the Apparent Magnitude (m) of the celestial object.
2. Enter the Distance (d) to the object in parsecs.
3. Click the Calculate button to compute the absolute magnitude.
4. The result will be displayed in the Absolute Magnitude (M) field.

Formula Explanation

The formula used to calculate the absolute magnitude is:

M = m - 5 * log10(d) + 5

Where:

• M is the absolute magnitude.
• m is the apparent magnitude.
• d is the distance in parsecs.

Example

If a star has an apparent magnitude of 4.0 and is located 100 parsecs away, the absolute magnitude can be calculated as follows:

M = 4.0 - 5 * log10(100) + 5

M = 4.0 - 5 * 2 + 5 = 4.0 - 10 + 5 = -1.0

This means the star is intrinsically brighter than the reference star at 10 parsecs.