solar luminosity

The unit, solar luminosity (L_Sun), the luminosity of the Sun, is commonly used as a unit of luminosity for astronomical objects. The Sun's actual luminosity varies a bit and L_Sun represents an averaged value. Determinations of this average improve with time, but a nominal value (i.e., reasonable according to recent determinations) chosen by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as a standard precise value for the unit is 3.828×10²⁶ watts (joules per second), which is 3.828×10³³ ergs per second. Some example luminosities using the solar luminosity unit: