Photographic magnitude

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Photographic magnitude (m_ph or m_p ) is a measure of the relative brightness of a star or other astronomical object as imaged on a photographic film emulsion with a camera attached to a telescope. An object's apparent photographic magnitude depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance and any extinction of light by interstellar matter existing along the line of sight to the observer.

Photographic observations have now been superseded by electronic photometry such as CCD charge-coupled device cameras that convert the incoming light into an electric current by the photoelectric effect. Determination of magnitude is made using a photometer.