You searched for: “luminosity”
luminosity
1. A measurement of the total amount of energy given off from a star.
2. The total amount of energy radiated by a luminous object per unit time; for example, one second. Common units are watts.
This entry is located in the following unit: Astronomy and related astronomical terms (page 15)
Word Entries containing the term: “luminosity”
mass-luminosity relation
An empirical relation between the mass and luminosity, both usually expressed in solar units, for main sequence stars.

For sunlike stars, the luminosity varies as the 3.5 power of the mass.

The power is smaller for lower mass stars.

This entry is located in the following unit: Astronomy and related astronomical terms (page 15)
period-luminosity relation
A relation obeyed by cepheid variable stars (highly luminous yellow or orange super giant stars that varies regularly in brightness), and which states that the period of the changes in luminosity varies directly with the luminosity of the star.
This entry is located in the following unit: Astronomy and related astronomical terms (page 18)