The _absolute_ magnitude of a star is its apparent magnitude at the standard distance of ten parsecs or 32.6 light years. The absolute magnitude of the sun is five. That is, the sun would be a fifth-magnitude star at the standard distance of 32.6 light-years. The absolute magnitudes of stars indicate how bright they would be relatively if they were all at the same standard distance. Apparent magnitudes indicate how bright the stars appear to be at their true distances.