I have read in many scientific stuff that mass of this planet or that stars is about '$n$' times the mass of Sun.
I have gone through many websites and videos on YouTube but didn't find the right explanation or may be I didn't understand.
In a video it is said that mass is related to luminosity by certain formula but it does not explain the basic of that formula.
So which parameters help in determining the mass of distant bodies?
Best Answer
Restricting an answer to stars and planets - it is basically Newton's gravitational laws and mechanics that lead to the masses of stars and planets in binary systems.
The masses of both components of a binary system can be determined with a combination of knowing their positions and velocities over the course of their orbit.
The mass of an isolated star or plant cannot be determined in this way. Instead, dynamical measurements of the masses of binary components can be used to calibrate the uncertainties in theoretical models and to establish empirical relationships between mass and other, directly observable, quantities such as luminosity. These models and relationships can then be used to estimate the masses of isolated objects.