Magnitude comparisons

Bob Jones (bobjo@home.com)
Fri, 04 Dec 1998 21:24:20 -0500

I have a predicted -9 Iridium 41 Flare coming up in my neighborhood
Sunday evening.  For the elucidation of my audience and confirmation of
my own calculations, would someone please help me with the following:

A -9 Iridium flare is ____ times brighter than Polaris.
A -9 Iridium flare is ____ times brighter than Jupiter.

This question is awfully elementary, but I was challenged at a recent -8
event when I said 'this will be a thousand times brighter than the
brightest star'.  I guess Vega was it at the time and I was exaggerating
a little, but how much did I lie?

Thanks.

Bob Jones
+37.07
-76.52