The Size (Radius) of a Star
We already know: flux increases with surface
temperature (~ T
4
); hotter stars are brighter.
But brightness also increases with size:
A
B
Star B will be
brighter than
star A.
Absolute brightness is proportional to radius squared, L ~ R
2
.
Quantitatively:
L = 4
p
R
2
s
T
4
Surface area of the star
Surface flux due to a
blackbody spectrum
0