Abstract
In Chapter 1 we found that the unaided eye could distinguish stars to the 6th visual magnitude from a mountain top and to the 5th magnitude from sea level. Over the entire sky there are 4850 stars brighter than magnitude 6 and 1620 brighter than magnitude 5. These are manageable numbers but with telescopic aid the number of stars either visible or photographable increases enormously. For example, there are
Plots of: (a) number of stars per magnitude interval (Am), (b) cumulative number of stars (N.), and (c) integrated starlight (4) per magnitude interval as a function of apparent visual magnitude. (Based on MW301, averaged over the whole sky.)
106 stars brighter than visual magnitude 11.2 and 109 brighter than magnitude 20. A definitive count is possible for the brighter stars, but for the fainter ones counting has been completed only for samples.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bok, B. J. and Bok, P. F.: 1968, The Milky Way (3rd ed.), Sky Publishing Corp., Cambridge, Mass.
Herschel, Sir William : 1802, Phil. Trans. 495.
Hoskin, M. A.: 1963, William Herschel and the Construction of the Heavens, Oldbourne History of Science Library, Oldbourne, London.
Hunten, D. M., Roach, F. E., and Chamberlain, J. W.: 1956, J. Atmospheric Terrest. Phys. 8, 345.
Olbers, W.: 1826, Edinburgh New Phil. J.1, 141.
Rayleigh IV, Robert John Strutt: 1930, Proc. Roy. Soc., London A 129, 458.
Roach, F. E. and Megill, L. R.: 1961, Astrophys. J. 133, 228.
Seares, F. H., van Rhijn, P. J., Joyner, M. C., and Richmond, M. L. : 1925, Astrophys. J. 62, 320 (Mount Wilson Publ. 301).
Smith, L. L., Roach, F. E., and Owen, R. W. : 1970, AEC Research and Development Report BNWL-1419,UC-2.
van Rhijn, P. J.: 1925, Publications of the Groningen Astronomical Observatory, No. 43.
Walsh, J. W. T.: 1958, Photometry (3rd ed.), Dover Publications, Inc., p. 520, App. III, Table II.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1973 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Roach, F., Gordon, J.L. (1973). Star Counts And Starlight. In: The Light of the Night Sky. Geophysics and Astrophysics Monographs, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2553-9_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2553-9_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-277-0294-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-010-2553-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive