Free Mass-Luminosity Relation Calculator
Estimate a main-sequence star's luminosity from its mass using the empirical relation L/L_sun ~ (M/M_sun)^3.5.
M_sun
Luminosity (L_sun)
1.0000 L_sun
Luminosity (W)382,800,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.000 W
Luminosity (L_sun) vs Stellar Mass
Mass-Luminosity Relation
For main-sequence stars, luminosity increases steeply with mass:
L / L_sun ≈ (M / M_sun)^3.5
This is an empirical fit. The exponent varies from about 2.3 for very low-mass stars to about 4 for massive stars, with 3.5 being a good average.
A 10 M_sun star is ~3162 times as luminous as the Sun.
Example Calculation
A 2 solar-mass star.
- 01L/L_sun = 2^3.5
- 02= 2^3 × 2^0.5 = 8 × 1.414 = 11.31
- 03About 11.3 times the Sun's luminosity.