What is the intensity of sunlight?

At Earth’s average distance from the Sun (about 150 million kilometers), the average intensity of solar energy reaching the top of the atmosphere directly facing the Sun is about 1,360 watts per square meter, according to measurements made by the most recent NASA satellite missions.

How do you calculate the intensity of the Sun on Earth?

(a) The intensity at Earth is the total power spread over a sphere of radius rE = 150 · 109 m (the Earth-Sun distance). EIE = 4π(150 · 109 m)2 · 1370 W/m2 = 3.87 · 1026 W .

What is the maximum intensity of sunlight?

The maximum radiation intensity of the solar spectrum occurs at 500 nm, towards the blue end of the visible range. The complete spectrum comprises the ultraviolet (UV), visible (Vis) and infrared (IR) wavelengths.

Where on Earth’s surface is the Sun’s intensity greatest?

the equator
Only locations lying along one line of latitude on the surface of the Earth can receive sunlight at a 90 degree angle on a given day. All other places receive sunlight at lesser intensities. In general, the sun’s rays are the most intense at the equator and the least intense at the poles.

Is the sun radioactive?

Gamma radiation in high doses is potentially lethal to life on Earth, but the sun releases relatively little gamma radiation. The gamma radiation created deep within the sun is absorbed and re-emitted by other atoms as it works its way toward the surface.

What is Earth’s albedo?

Using satellite measurements accumulated since the late 1970s, scientists estimate Earth’s average albedo is about about 0.30. The maps above show how the reflectivity of Earth—the amount of sunlight reflected back into space—changed between March 1, 2000, and December 31, 2011.

How do you determine intensity?

Intensity can be found by taking the energy density (energy per unit volume) at a point in space and multiplying it by the velocity at which the energy is moving. The resulting vector has the units of power divided by area (i.e., surface power density).

Where is the sun at 90 degrees?

equator
When the sun is directly overhead, the solar altitude is 90 degrees. This occurs at the equator during the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. At the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the sun will have an altitude of 90 degrees during their respective summer solstices.

Is the sun getting more intense?

The Sun is becoming increasingly hotter (or more luminous) with time. Astronomers estimate that the Sun’s luminosity will increase by about 6% every billion years. This increase might seem slight, but it will render Earth inhospitable to life in about 1.1 billion years. The planet will be too hot to support life.

Is the amount of sunlight reaching the earth constant?

There is a certain amount of sunlight reaching Earth at any given moment. This is not an absolute quantity since Earth is closer to the Sun at some times of the year verses others and the number of sunspots effects the Sun’s energy output, but overall the Sun is remarkably constant in its behavior.

How does the intensity of the sun depend on location?

Again, the intensity will depend on the angle it makes with the sun and so it depends on your location on earth (i.e. latitude). Latitudes around the equator will receive more sunlight because their angle is closer to perpendicular.

How much energy does the Earth receive from the Sun?

Educator Features. We can describe the amount of the Sun’s energy reaching Earth as 1 solar constant. The average distance from the Sun to Earth is 149,597,870.66 kilometers (92,955,807.25 miles) which we can simplify to what astronomers call 1 Astronomical Unit or 1 AU. So Earth is 1 AU from the Sun and receives 1 solar constant.

What is the average amount of solar irradiance in the atmosphere?

The average annual solar radiation arriving at the top of the Earth’s atmosphere (1361 W/m2) represents the power per unit area of solar irradiance across the spherical surface surrounding the sun with radius equal to the distance to the Earth (1 AU).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpjodYiwAxk