| Term: | Solar constant |
| Definition: |
The amount of solar radiation in all wavelengths received per unit of time per unit of area on a theoretical surface perpendicular to the Sun's rays and at Earth's mean distance from the Sun. Its mean value is 1367.7 W m^-2 or 1.37 x 106 erg sec^-1 cm^-2. In other words, the solar constant is the mean solar irradiance on the outer atmosphere when the Sun and Earth are spaced at 1 astronomical unit. |