Astronomical Magnitudes

Why Can We See the Moon and Planets in Daylight?

By: Mike Luciuk

Several different types of “magnitude” are used in astronomy. Most commonly, apparent magnitudes are used to describe the brightness of stellar and solar system objects while absolute magnitudes are required to assess intrinsic brightness. A method is described to evaluate extended object versus sky brightness to calculate contrast, which explains why we can see Venus in daylight sky. There are specific procedures for calculating absolute magnitudes of … Read the rest “Astronomical Magnitudes”

The September 18 monthly meeting is in the Roy Smith Theatre at 8:00 pm and is open to the public. Observing occurs after the meeting at 10:00 pm. Regular observing will resume on September 25  from 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm. See below for the weekly presentations, times and locations.

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All visitors must register to enter the Sperry Observatory. Admission and programs are free of charge.

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