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A mass-luminosity relation relates a star's mass with its luminosity:
L / LSun = ( M / MSun )a
Such a relation is thought to hold (roughly) within various classifications of stars: a value of a = 3.5 is often used for a very rough estimate for main sequence stars, with other/better values depending upon characteristics of the star's convection, and the star's general mass range. Stars close to the Eddington luminosity have a close to 1. Eclipsing binaries and parallax measurements help confirm the relation(s).
More reliable relations have been devised by including additional factors, e.g., age and/or radius.
Such a mass-luminosity relation has also been checked for among distant galaxies, i.e., to offer a means of estimating the galaxy's mass.