Magnitude scale

The magnitude scale is a system used to measure the brightness of celestial objects, like stars and galaxies. Developed in ancient times, it assigns lower numbers to brighter objects and higher numbers to dimmer ones. For example, a star that shines brightly might have a magnitude of 1, while a faint star could have a magnitude of 6 or higher. The scale is logarithmic, meaning each step represents a change in brightness by a factor of about 2.5, so a magnitude 1 star is significantly brighter than a magnitude 2 star. This scale helps astronomers categorize and compare the brightness of stars in the night sky.