Earl Needham wrote: > > Inasmuch as it's been quite a few years (20+) since I took astronomy in > college, I would appreciate a short explanation of the magnitude "system". > What I really need to know is -- magnitude 3 is brighter or dimmer than > magnitude 1? What about magnitude -3? In other words, what is the scale? Mag 1 is exactly 100 times brighter than mag 6. The brightest stars are approximately mag 1 or mag 0. The Big Dipper is mostly mag 2. The faintest stars visible to the naked eye in a country setting are about mag 6. Each mag is about 2.52 times brighter than the next lower number. -- Regards, Jay Respler -- JRespler@surfnj.net (NEW EMAIL ADDRESS) Satellite Tracker * Early Typewriter Collector Freehold, New Jersey