Magnidra: Magnitude Scale
Cosmology & the Sky arc, page 167 of 193. Back to The Pixelated Physics Universe
Who they are
Magnidra has one line, and says it often: “Five magnitudes. 100 times fainter.”
Magnidra is a character of the Cosmology & the Sky arc: drawn in pixels, ruled by one piece of real physics, and never allowed to break it.
The physics
Pogson's magnitude scale: 5 magnitudes equals a factor of 100 in flux.
$$ \begin{gathered} m_1 - m_2 = -2.5 \log_{10}\!\left(\frac{F_1}{F_2}\right) \\ \Delta m = 5 \;\Leftrightarrow\; \frac{F_1}{F_2} = 100 \end{gathered} $$
| Symbol | Meaning | SI unit |
|---|---|---|
| $m$ | apparent magnitude | — |
| $F$ | flux | W/m^2 |
Sources
Crossovers
Magnidra meets Twinkelle (Why Stars Twinkle). Twinkelle's twinkling makes brightness flicker. Magnidra measures that brightness on a logarithmic scale, where 5 magnitudes means a factor of 100 in flux.
Magnidra meets Surgelle (Opposition Surge Full Moon). Surgelle's full Moon brightens sharply near zero phase angle. Magnidra records that jump in magnitudes, the scale where brighter means smaller.
Wear the lore
Concept keywords: Magnitude Scale, Magnidra, Cosmology & the Sky, physics lore, Pixelated Physics