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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/astro-magnitude-backwards

On the magnitude scale, what does a smaller (or negative) number mean?

A brighter object. Sirius is -1.6; the Sun is -26.7.

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  1. A fainter object
  2. A closer object
  3. A brighter object ✔

Why: The scale goes back to Hipparchus, who called the brightest stars first magnitude. So lower numbers are brighter, and the brightest objects go negative.

Huh, didn't know that: Hubble can detect objects as faint as magnitude 30.

The dad joke
Astronomy is the only place where getting a negative score means you're a star.
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References

Answer: A brighter object. The scale goes back to Hipparchus, who called the brightest stars first magnitude. So lower numbers are brighter, and the brightest objects go negative.

  1. Las Cumbres Observatory, What is apparent magnitude? lco.global/spacebook/distance/what-apparent-magnitude
    In this system, the brighter an object appears, the lower its magnitude.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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