You observe the peak brightnesses of two white dwarf supernovae.Supernova A is only 1/4 as bright as Supernova B.What can you say about their relative distances?
A)Supernova A is twice as far away as Supernova B.
B)Supernova A is 4 times as far away as Supernova B.
C)Supernova B is 4 times as far away as Supernova A.
D)Supernova B is twice as far away as Supernova A.
E)We can't say anything about their relative distances because we do not have enough information.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The brightness of a supernova decreases with the square of the distance. If Supernova A is 1/4 as bright as Supernova B, it is twice as far away, because (1/2)^2 = 1/4.

You Observe the Peak Brightnesses of Two White Dwarf Supernovae