Astrophysics (Index)About

solar constant

(flux from the Sun at 1 AU)

The solar constant is the density of the Sun's flux (amount of EMR energy per unit of an area perpendicular to the direction of the EMR) when the flux approaches Earth, or precisely, after traveling 1 AU. The current typically-cited value is 1.361 kilowatts per meter², an average derived from measurements over roughly three decades. Despite the word constant, it is not, slightly more at solar maximum. Also, because Earth's orbit is a bit eccentric, the flux actually hitting Earth atmosphere varies around this solar constant, currently varying roughly 7% over the course of each year.


(EMR,physics,constant,flux,Sun,solar system,Earth)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_constant
https://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Educational/2/1/12
https://astro4edu.org/resources/glossary/term/307/
https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Total_solar_irradiance
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atsc/11/6/1520-0469_1954_011_0431_tsc_2_0_co_2.xml?tab_body=pdf
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011GeoRL..38.1706K/abstract

Referenced by pages:
EURECA
sunspot
watt (W)

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