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Re: (meteorobs) More questions please.




> 2.  Star/Planet Magnitude
>
>If Jupiter is a visual (to me) magnitude -3 right now, does that mean it
>changes and one should not take the listing in the NAMN guide, Chapter 2:
>Observing Technique-Visual, page 5, as an absolute on brightness/magnitude?
>I found a used book, A Concise Guide in Colour, Constellations, by Josef
>Klepesta and Antonin Rukl, 1978, that among other things has magnitudes
>listed for major stars in constellations.  Can I go by these listings?  Is
>there a similar listing for planets (or do they change during the year)?  Are
>the numbers on some of the charts on "NAMN: Limiting Magnitude Charts" (lm)
>actually magnitudes that indicate brightness from an observers view?
>
>Mrs. Webb


Some quick and dirty calculations on my part show that  Jupiter changes in
brightness throughout the year by slightly less than a magnitude, Saturn by
slightly less than half a magnitude. Venus and Mars on the other had change
brightness by almost four magnitudes from brightest to faintest.

Our college server is down so that all email is cut off. I am sending this
message Sat. Oct. 16 early AM. I hope you get it in time to be useful.

Terry

*****************************************
Terry Richardson
Department of Physics and Astronomy
College of Charleston
Charleston, SC 29424
pager #937-1048
843 953-8071 phone
843 953-4824 fax
http://www.cofcdot edu/~richardt/

Office Location: Science Center Room 102

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