If the luminosity of a star increases or decreases in some way, would the received flux increase or decrease by the same amount (linearly) or would it change by the square of the luminosity (inverse square law)?
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1 Answer
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Flux $F$ is related to luminosity $L$ and distance $d$ as $$ F = \frac{L}{4\pi d^2} , $$ assuming that the luminosity is radiated isotopically and there is no absorption in interstellar space.
If $L$ changes by some fraction than $F$ changes by the same fraction.
If either of the two assumptions need to be dropped, this conclusion is unchanged.
