What does Solar Constant mean?
Definitions for Solar Constant
so·lar con·stant
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Solar Constant.
Princeton's WordNet
solar constantnoun
the rate at which radiant solar energy is received at the outer layer of the earth's atmosphere
Wiktionary
solar constantnoun
The amount of incoming solar radiation per unit area, measured on the outer surface of Earth's atmosphere, in a plane perpendicular to the rays.
Wikipedia
Solar constant
The solar constant (GSC) is a flux density measuring mean solar electromagnetic radiation (total solar irradiance) per unit area. It is measured on a surface perpendicular to the rays, one astronomical unit (au) from the Sun (roughly the distance from the Sun to the Earth). The solar constant includes radiation over the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It is measured by satellite as being 1.361 kilowatts per square meter (kW/m2) at solar minimum (the time in the 11-year solar cycle when the number of sunspots is minimal) and approximately 0.1% greater (roughly 1.362 kW/m2) at solar maximum.The solar "constant" is not a physical constant in the modern CODATA scientific sense; that is, it is not like the Planck constant or the speed of light which are absolutely constant in physics. The solar constant is an average of a varying value. In the past 400 years it has varied less than 0.2 percent. Billions of years ago, it was significantly lower. This constant is used in the calculation of radiation pressure, which aids in the calculation of a force on a solar sail.
ChatGPT
solar constant
The solar constant is a measure of the amount of electromagnetic energy that the Sun emits in all directions. It is defined as the amount of energy received from the Sun in a unit area perpendicular to the rays of the Sun at the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, under clear sky conditions. Its approximate average value is reported to be around 1361 watts per square meter.
Wikidata
Solar constant
The solar constant, a measure of flux density, is the amount of incoming solar electromagnetic radiation per unit area that would be incident on a plane perpendicular to the rays, at a distance of one astronomical unit. When solar irradiance is measured on the outer surface of Earth's atmosphere, the measurements can be adjusted using the inverse square law to infer the magnitude of solar irradiance at one AU and deduce the solar constant. Solar output is nearly, but not quite, constant. Variations in total solar irradiance were too small to detect with technology available before the satellite era. Total solar output is now measured to vary by approximately 0.1%; see solar variation for details. The solar constant includes all types of solar radiation, not just the visible light. It is measured by satellite to be roughly 1.361 kilowatts per square meter at solar minimum and approximately 0.1% greater at solar maximum. The actual direct solar irradiance at the top of the atmosphere fluctuates by about 6.9% during a year due to the Earth's varying distance from the Sun, and typically by much less than 0.1% from day to day. Thus, for the whole Earth, the power is 1.740×10^17 W, plus or minus 3.5%. The solar constant does not remain constant over long periods of time, but over a year varies much less than the variation of direct solar irradiance at the top of the atmosphere arising from the ellipticity of the Earth's orbit. The approximate average value cited, 1.361 kW/m², which is 81.66 kJ/m² per minute in SI units, is equivalent to approximately 1.952 calories per minute per square centimeter, or 1.952 langleys.26
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of Solar Constant in Chaldean Numerology is: 3
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of Solar Constant in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Translations for Solar Constant
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
Get even more translations for Solar Constant »
Translation
Find a translation for the Solar Constant definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Solar Constant." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Solar+Constant>.
Discuss these Solar Constant definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In