An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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1) The → magnitude a star would have if it were at a distance of 10 → parsecs in a void space, without → interstellar absorption. The absolute magnitude is usually deduced from the → visual magnitude, measured through a V filter (→ UBV system), when it is written as M_V. If it is defined for another wavelength, it gets another index (U, B, etc). If the radiation on all wavelengths is included, it becomes absolute → bolometric magnitude, M_bol. The Sun has the absolute magnitude + 4.8. Most of the stars have absolute magnitudes ranging between -9 (→ supergiants) and + 19 (→ red dwarfs) (M.S.: SDE).
2) The brightness a → comet or → asteroid would have if it were at a distance of 1 → astronomical unit both from the Sun and the Earth and were completely illuminated by the Sun (M.S.: SDE).

→ absolute; → magnitude.