Intrinsic brightness
Encyclopedia
Astronomers
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

 use the term intrinsic brightness (also termed absolute magnitude
Absolute magnitude
Absolute magnitude is the measure of a celestial object's intrinsic brightness. it is also the apparent magnitude a star would have if it were 32.6 light years away from Earth...

) to refer to how bright a star would be without the effects of distance or absorption due to interstellar dust or gas. While a bright distant star's apparent brightness might be less than a nearby dim star, due to the inverse square law for brightness, astronomers can discuss its intrinsic brightness meaning how bright the stars would be at a common distance.
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