From the April 2009 issue

In stellar magnitude estimates, why do larger numbers represent dimmer objects? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

By | Published: April 27, 2009 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Hipparchus
Hipparchus

Stellar magnitude estimates use larger numbers for dimmer celestial objects because the system’s originator, Greek astronomer Hipparchus, decided to do it that way in the second century B.C.