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Evolution of the solar luminosity, radius and effective temperature compared to the present-day Sun. After Ribas (2010) [1] The solar luminosity (L ☉) is a unit of radiant flux (power emitted in the form of photons) conventionally used by astronomers to measure the luminosity of stars, galaxies and other celestial objects in terms of the output of the Sun.
Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture.
In photometry, luminous energy is the perceived energy of light.This is sometimes called the quantity of light. [1] Luminous energy is not the same as radiant energy, the corresponding objective physical quantity.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to solar energy: Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun. It has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar energy technologies include solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity and solar ...
The solar magnetic field extends well beyond the Sun itself. The electrically conducting solar wind plasma carries the Sun's magnetic field into space, forming what is called the interplanetary magnetic field. [86] In an approximation known as ideal magnetohydrodynamics, plasma particles only move along magnetic field lines. As a result, the ...
The northern lights are expected to be strongest between Friday, Jan. 31, and Saturday, Feb. 1. The best time to view them is from 10:00 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time.
The Sun is composed primarily of the chemical elements hydrogen and helium; they account for 74.9% and 23.8%, respectively, of the mass of the Sun in the photosphere.All heavier elements, colloquially called metals in stellar astronomy, account for less than 2% of the mass, with oxygen (roughly 1% of the Sun's mass), carbon (0.3%), neon (0.2%), and iron (0.2%) being the most abundant.
The solar constant is 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 (AU) (roughly the mean distance from the Sun to Earth).