The formula to calculate Luminosity (L) is:
\[ \text{L} = 4 \times \pi \times \text{d}^2 \times \text{F} \]
Where:
Luminosity is the total amount of energy emitted by an object, such as a star or galaxy, per unit of time. It is an intrinsic property that does not depend on the object’s distance from the observer. Luminosity is a fundamental parameter used in astronomy to understand the nature and evolution of celestial bodies.
Let's consider an example:
Using the formula to calculate the Luminosity:
\[ \text{L} = 4 \times \pi \times (10 \times 3.086 \times 10^{16})^2 \times 3.0 \times 10^{-8} \approx 1.2 \times 10^{28} \, \text{watts} \]
This demonstrates that with an observed flux of 3.0 × 10-8 watts/m² and a distance of 10 parsecs, the luminosity of the object would be approximately 1.2 × 1028 watts.
