ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

UBV photometric system

The UBV photometric system is a way that scientists use to measure the brightness of stars. Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing all the stars. Some of them are bright, and some of them are not so bright. Scientists want to measure how bright they all are so that they can study them and learn more about the universe.

The UBV photometric system works like this: first, scientists use a special tool called a telescope to look at the star. Then, they use three different colored filters to measure the star's brightness. These filters are called U, B, and V. The U filter lets in light that is mostly blue, the B filter lets in light that is mostly blue and green, and the V filter lets in light that is mostly green and yellow.

Next, scientists use a special device called a photometer to measure how much light is passing through each filter. The more light that passes through, the brighter the star appears. By measuring how much light passes through each filter, scientists can figure out how bright the star is in each color. This information can tell them things like how hot the star is, how far away it is, and what it's made of.

In other words, the UBV photometric system is a way for scientists to study the stars that they see in the sky, by using special tools to look at how bright they are in different colors of light. It's sort of like using different colored glasses to look at the same thing and see different details. With the UBV photometric system, scientists can learn a lot about the stars in our universe and help us understand more about the world we live in.