Questions: How many times brighter is a 1st magnitude star than a 6th magnitude star?

Solution Steps

The magnitude scale in astronomy is a logarithmic scale used to measure the brightness of stars. A difference of 5 magnitudes corresponds to a brightness factor of 100.

To find how many times brighter a 1st magnitude star is compared to a 6th magnitude star, we use the formula: \[ \text{Brightness factor} = 10^{(m_2 - m_1)/2.5} \] where \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the magnitudes of the two stars.

Substitute \( m_1 = 1 \) and \( m_2 = 6 \): \[ \text{Brightness factor} = 10^{(6 - 1)/2.5} = 10^{5/2.5} = 10^2 = 100 \]

Final Answer