On a clear night, I was looking up at the stars and I noticed a star that was shining more than the others. A friend mentioned to me that the more visible a star the younger it is and the less visible the older it is. I just wanted to verify if that's accurate?What determines the visibility of a star? Is it a factor of age, size, or the distance from the earth?It depends on both how much light it gives off or how luminous it is, and how far away it is.What determines the visibility of a star? Is it a factor of age, size, or the distance from the earth?Its a combination of the star's actual brightness (which is a function of its actual diameter and its temperature) and its distance from Earth.
A large or hot star will be brighter than a small cool star at the same distance.
But if that small cool star was only 5 light years away and the large hot star was 10 times farther, it probably wouldn't be visible from Earth.
Your friend is referring to the fact that light has a finite speed. The closer a star is, the less time it has taken for the light to reach us.
Age of a star doesn't really matter so much as mass. Some stars that are near the end of their normal life on the main sequence are quite visible (Betelgeuse is one example).What determines the visibility of a star? Is it a factor of age, size, or the distance from the earth?if youre blind or not. hope that helps. hehehehe
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