The Apparent Brightness of Stars in General Tells Us Nothing

Multiple Choice

The apparent brightness of stars in general tells us nothing about their distances; we cannot assume that the dimmer stars are farther away. In order for the apparent brightness of a star to be a good indicator of its distance, all the stars would have to be:

A) at the same distance
B) the same composition
C) the same luminosity
D) by themselves instead of in binary or double-star systems
E) a lot farther away than they presently are