•Every increase in m
by 1 is a drop in brightness by a factor of 2.512
–We receive 2.512 times less power from a 2nd magnitude star than from a 1st magnitude
one.
–We receive
2.512 ´2.512 = 6.310 times less
from a 3rd magnitude than
a 1st magnitude
–We receive
(2.512)5 times less from a 6th magnitude star than a 1st magnitude.
The 5 comes
from 6-1.
–Because
(2.512)5 = 100 (not by accident) the faintest
stars we can see are 100 times fainter than the brightest.