How do we know which stars have the most heat?

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How do scientists or whoever calculates the heat in space know how much heat a specific star emits compared to others in its vicinity? Is it always the same way to calculate the heat?

In: Physics

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Look at it’s colour. Blackbody radiation (heat caused EM waves) have a specific colour spectrum based on temperature. For example our sun has it’s peak in the narrow range of light that we can see at 5777K. If it was hotter it would go more into ultraviolet, if it was colder it would be more infrared

Anonymous 0 Comments

Color tells you how much energy *per unit area.* For total power, you need that plus the size of the star, or alternately its apparent brightness and the distance.