mass-luminosity relation

The mass-luminosity relation is an equation relating a star's mass with its luminosity.

 L         M
————— = ( ————— )a
 LSun      MSun

• a - number 1 < a < 6

­a = 3.5 is often used for main sequence stars. Stars close to the Eddington luminosity have a close to 1. a depends upon whether the star is the right size for significant convection.

Eclipsing binaries and parallax measurements help confirm the relation.