See Also: luminosity(dictionary)

luminosity (iou)



luminosity noun. M17.
[from LUMINOUS: see -OSITY.]
The quality or condition of being luminous. M17.
b. The effectiveness of light of any particular wavelength in producing the sensation of brightness. L19.
c. Astronomy. The intrinsic brightness of a celestial object (as distinct from its apparent brightness, diminished by distance); the rate of emission of electromagnetic radiation within any part of the spectrum. E20.
d. Physics. A parameter of a colliding-beam accelerator equal to the ratio of the rate of interactions to the cross-section for the interaction. M20.
A luminous thing; a luminous point or area. M19.
Comb.: luminosity curve: showing how emitted energy or perceived brightness varies with wavelength; luminosity function Astronomy: giving the number or proportion of celestial objects with an absolute magnitude equal to or greater than any value.