Magnitude system: This is a method of expressing the apparent brightness of a celestial object. The magnitude system is confusing to many people since the magnitude number grows larger as the star grows fainter. The confusion will disappear if the word ‘class’ is substituted for ‘magnitude’. Obviously we would expect a ‘first class star’ to be brighter than a second or third class star and the term ‘4th class’ already begin to suggest faintness and unimportance.