The Sun and Solar constant

the Sun atmosphere decreases as the distance from its centre

increases.
At the top of the photosphere temperature is believed to be 5000 -6000 K. Photosphere, as well as chromosphere, consists of partly ionized gas and the solar corona of fully ionized gas (plasma).

very unstable.
Phenomena in the solar atmosphere
Flares (факелы)
Floccules-flocculi-flocculus (plasma blow out)
Flashes

(вспышки)

chromospheres flashes occur ? corpuscular and electromagnetic emanation are very rapid to increase
flashes duration: few minutes to a few hours.
Corpuscle’s speed of about 1000 km/s.
The distance between the Sun and the Earth is about 150 000 000 km.


is the time needed for the corpuscular flux to reach the Earth and to cause magnetic storm or aurora.

These phenomena are sources of corpuscular fluxes
SOLAR WIND

the sun. The solar disk was blocked in these photos

for better visualization of the flare

A sunspot viewed close-up in ultraviolet lightA sunspot viewed close-up in ultraviolet light, taken by the TRACE spacecraft

Erudite question ;)
Why Pluto is No Longer a Planet ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flare_and_after-flare_prominence.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunspot

irregular shape appearing in the photosphere are known as SOLAR

SPOTS.
They are observed in the latitudinal zone 5 – 35 degrees in the both sides from equator. Duration: from a few hours up to a few months.
The solar spots are regarded as indicator of SOLAR ACTIVITY (SA).
Wolfer Number (WN)

K is empirical coefficient, f indicates the total number of the spots,
g denotes number of the spot groups. The WN fluctuates with the period of 11 years (7 – 11). Minimal SA Maximal SA

– 0,455
Ultraviolet (UV) Blue 0,455 – 0,485
Visible light Light blue

0,485 – 0,505
Infrared (IR) Green 0,505 – 0,575
Radio waves Yellow 0,575 – 0,585
Orange 0,585 – 0,620
Red 0,620 – 0,575
The energy emitted by the Sun is generated deep within the Sun. Like most of the stars the Sun is made up primary of hydrogen (71%) and helium (21%). The heavier elements occupy 2% only. Near the Sun centre temperature is about 16000000 K and the density is 150 times larger that of water. Under these conditions atoms of Hydrogen interact and form helium. This process generate energy in form of gamma radiation equal to hydrogen bombs per second.

the emittance of the a. Bb with the temperature 5800

K, , and the most part of the SR energy falls on the wavelength range 0,29 – 2,4 μ.
It has happened that the Earth’s atmosphere is the most transparent just for the same wavelength range. That is why we call this range
OPTICAL WINDOW

upper boundary of the Earth atmosphere in a unit of

time to a unit of area facing the rays, at average distance between the Sun and the Earth is called
SOLAR CONSTANT
According to satellite measurement

Some recent measurement recorded
This constant includes the energy of all wavelengths coming from the Sun. Therefore we call it Astronomic Solar Constant
For the upper part of the troposphere
(for the wavelength interval )
We call it Meteorological Solar Constant.

and the Earth

And the radius of the sun is
Every

of the sphere of the radius
in one second receives the energy
. The Whole sphere receives
all the energy emitted by the Sun



This temperature is also called effective (radiation) temperature of the Sun.
For practical purposes it adopted to be 6000 K

explained by the eccentricity of the EARTH ORBIT
22 June (Aphelion)

22 December (Perihelion)

spectrum
UV ( ) – 9%
Visible Light ( ) – 47%
IR ( ) –

44%
99% of the energy falls to the area 0,1 – 4,0 μ.
Conclusion: The Sun emits Short wave radiation.

100% of the terrestrial radiation (Earth’s radiation) falls to the area 3 – 120 μ (maximal 10μ).
Conclusion: The Earth emits Long wave radiation.

the upper “boundary of the atmosphere”, where the astronomical factors

only may be accounted for
Rotation of the Earth about the Sun.
The tilt to ecliptic of the earth spinning axis.
The Earth spinning.
At an arbitrary chosen moment of time the distance between the Sun and the Earth is not necessarily equal to the average one, i. e.

is called
INSOLATION



denotes altitude of the Sun above horizon (or just

SUN ALTITUDE)

Here, φ is latitude, δ is declination of the Sun, П=86400 s is duration of the one spin of the earth, is hour angle, and t is time being counted from the noon.
Let us determine amount of SR Q arriving to one of a horizontal surface during a day time at the top of the atmosphere, i. e. diurnal insolation.

the insolation over the globe.

bigger than corresponding values for the Northern hemisphere. This is

due to the Earth is close to its orbit aphelion during the Northern hemisphere mid-summer (the distance from the Sun is about 1.52*10 8 km), while at the midsummer
of the Southern hemisphere the Earth is close to its orbit perihelion (the distance from the Sun is about 1.47 * 10 8 km).

Because of the eccentricity e the seasons duration at Southern hemisphere is different from that of Northern hemisphere. Therefore, mean diurnal insolation values at Northern hemisphere differ from those of Southern hemisphere.

In summer, the Southern hemisphere atmosphere top receives a bit more radiation than that in Northern hemisphere. In winter, one can observe the vice versa.