Defining luminosity
- Luminosity is defined as:
The total power output of radiation emitted by a star
- It is measured in units of watts (W)
- Radiant flux intensity is defined as:
The observed amount of intensity, or the radiant power transmitted normally through a surface per unit of area, of radiation measured on Earth
- The difference between luminosity and radiant flux is:
- luminosity is the total radiation that leaves the star
- radiant flux intensity is the amount of radiation measured on Earth
- by the time the radiation reaches the Earth, it will have spread out a great deal, therefore, it will only be a fraction of the value of the luminosity
Luminosity and radiant flux of a star
The luminosity is the total power output of the star, whereas the radiant flux is what is measured on Earth