The term "brightest star" refers to a star that is visibly more luminous than other stars in the night sky. It has a higher magnitude, which means it emits more light and appears brighter to observers on Earth. The brightness of a star is measured using its apparent visual magnitude (mV) or absolute magnitude (Mv), with lower numbers indicating greater brightness. In general usage, "brightest star" refers to the star that has the highest intrinsic luminosity and appears most brilliant in comparison to other stars.