Apparent Magnitude Calculator

Formula

The formula to calculate the Apparent Magnitude (M) is:

\[ M = -5 \cdot \log_{10} \left( \frac{Fx}{Fx0} \right) \]

Where:

\( M \) is the apparent magnitude.
\( Fx \) is the observed irradiance.
\( Fx0 \) is the reference flux.

What is Apparent Magnitude?

Apparent magnitude is a measure of the brightness of a celestial object as seen from Earth. It is calculated by comparing the observed irradiance of the object to a reference flux. The lower the apparent magnitude, the brighter the object appears.

Example Calculation

Consider an example where:

Observed Irradiance (Fx): 1.5
Reference Flux (Fx0): 1.0

Using the formula to calculate the Apparent Magnitude:

\[ M = -5 \cdot \log_{10} \left( \frac{1.5}{1.0} \right) \approx -5 \cdot 0.1761 = -0.88 \]

This means that the apparent magnitude for this example is approximately -0.88.