Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Solar Radiation |
Solar RadiationNoun1. Radiation from the sun. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | The total electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun. See insolation, direct solar radiation, diffuse sky radiation, global radiation, extraterrestrial radiation, solar constant.To a first approximation, the sun radiates as a black body at a temperature of about 5700 degrees K; hence about 99.9 percent of its energy output falls within the wavelength interval from 0.15 micron to 4.0 microns, with peak intensity near 0.47 micron. About one-half of the total energy in the solar beam is contained within the visible spectrum from 0.4 to 0.7 micron, and most of the other half lies in the near infrared, a small additional portion lying in the ultraviolet. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | Radiation emitted by the sun. Approximately all of the incident solar energy is at wavelengths less than 4. 0 um and is often termed shortwave radiation. Source: European Union. (references) |
Energy | A general term for the visible and near visible (ultraviolet and near-infrared) electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by the sun. It has a spectral, or wavelength, distribution that corresponds to different energy levels; short wavelength radiation has a higher energy than long-wavelength radiation. (references) |
| Electromagnetic radiationemitted by the sun. (references) | |
Medicine | Sunbathing as a therapeutic measure. Source: European Union. (references) |
Science | Energy received from the sun is solar radiation. The energy comes in many forms, such as visible light (that which we can see with our eyes). Other forms of radiation include radio waves, heat (infrared), ultraviolet waves, and x-rays. These forms are categorized within the electromagnetic spectrum. (references) |
| Light, heat, or other energy given out by the Sun. (references) | |
| Electromagnetic energy radiated from the Sun. (references) | |
Solar | The electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun. (references) |
Weather | Energy from the Sun. Also referred to as short-wave radiation. Of importance to the climate system, solar radiation includes ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation, and infrared radiation. See ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation, radiation. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Solar radiation is due to nuclear fusion reactions. Fusion is the process whereby stars produce huge quantities of energy from the fusion of hydrogen or helium, in one of the most efficient processes of energy generation. Some stars are known to emit radiation of other wavelengths.
Solar neutrinos are a different type of radiation emitted by the nuclear reactions in stars. Electrons and positrons (anti-electrons) are delocalised because the matter in stars is a plasma. These leptons may also be considered a form of solar radiation, but they do not travel far from the solar body. Fusion begins with the combination of four hydrogen-1 nuclei to create two hydrogen-2 nuclei. As a result, two positrons (positive electrons) and two neutrinos are released. These two hydrogen-2 nuclei, together with another two hydrogen-1 nuclei, form two helium-3 nuclei and release gamma radiation. These two unstable isotopes of helium fuse to form helium-4 and two particles of hydrogen-1.
The whole process can be summed up by saying that four protons undergo fusion to produce a helium nucleus and energy. The energy radiated away in the form of gamma radiation, as well as the positrons and neutrinos, is solar radiation. The hydrogen-1 nuclei are not radiation, by its strict definition, as they are usually used again as an input in the fusion chain-reaction.
Also note that energy is conserved, so by calculating the mass of the four protons, and the mass of the helium nucleus, and subtracting you can calculate the mass of energy (energy and mass are interchangeable) emitted in gamma and positron radiation. The equation E = mc2 can be used to convert between mass and energy in joules. Since these values are very small, it is useful to convert joules into electron volts. An eV (electron volt) is equal to 1.6 × 10-19 joules, but in most cases the energy released in reactions is measured in MeV or mega-electron volts, or larger quantities.
On earth solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the sun is above the horizon. This is during daytime, and also in summer near the poles at night, but not at all in winter near the poles. When the direct radiation is not blocked by clouds, it is experienced as sunshine, a combination of bright yellow light (sunlight in the strict sense) and heat. The heat on the body, on objects, etc., that is directly produced by the radiation should be distinguished from the increase in air temperature.
Climate effect of solar radiation
External Links
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Solar radiation."
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Recording solar radiation using a normal incidence pyrheliometer with a filter wheel. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Figure 5. Compact luxmeter, used for study of light in air. Simplicity of design and use have joined with greater and greater precision of measurement in this mass-produced industry instrument. Although apparently an instrument used in meteorology, it is shown here because of the relationship between solar radiation and photo synthesis. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
 | Figure 6. Pyranometer, a sensor used to measure variations in solar radiation. It is used with a recording device, the solarigraph. The principle of operation of the pyranometer is that of the thermophile of the Dutch Willem Moll. This principle was adapted by Dr. Ladislaw Gorczynski of the Meteorological Institute of Varsovia in 1924. The instrument shown was probably made in the 1940's. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |  | Figure 8. Integrating solarimeter - measures energy developed from solar radiation based on the absorption of heat by a black body. The principle this instrument was designed on was first developed by the Italian priest, Father Angelo Bellani. He invented the actinometric method which is based on physical and chemical techniques. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
Expression using "solar radiation": incident solar radiation. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
solar radiation | 39 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "solar radiation"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | solstraaling (sun's radiation), solstråling, solindfald (incident solar radiation, insolation, solar irradiation, sunlight penetration, sun's radiation), solbestraaling (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment), solbehandling (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment), lysbade (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment), helioterapi (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | zonnestraling (sun's radiation), heliotherapie (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment), héliotherapie (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | auringon säteily. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
French | rayonnement solaire, radiation solaire, héliothérapie. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Sonnenstrahlung (sun's radiation), Sonneneinstrahlung (incident solar radiation, insolation, solar irradiation, solarisation, solarization, sun's radiation), Sonnenbestrahlung (insolation), Heliotherapie (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | ηλιακή ακτινοβολία (sun's radiation), ηλιακή ακτινοβολÃα, ηλιοθεÏαπεία (sunbathing). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | napsugárzás. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | terapia solare (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment), radiazione solare (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment, sun's radiation), irradiazione solare (sun's radiation), elioterapia (heliotherapy). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 日射 , 太陽æ"¾å°„ . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | ãŸã„よã†ã»ã†ã—ゃ, ã«ã£ã—ゃ. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | olarsay adiationray terapia solar (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment), radiação solar (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment, sun's radiation), helioterapia (heliotherapy, sun-ray treatment). (various references) radiacion solar (sun's radiation), radiación solar, fototerapia (phototherapy). (various references) solstrålning. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-a-d-i-i-l-n-o-o-r-r-s-t" | |
-2 letters: radiolarians. | |
-3 letters: irrationals, radiational, radiolarian. | |
-4 letters: adorations, distrainor, irrational, radiations, sinoatrial, trainloads. | |
-5 letters: adoration, antiradar, antisolar, artisanal, dilations, doornails, idolators, iodations, isolation, radiation, radiators, railroads, rationals, sanatoria, sanitaria, sanitoria, sartorial, tandooris, tonsorial, torsional, trainload. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)53 6F 6C 61 72 52 61 64 69 61 74 69 6F 6E |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01010011 01101111 01101100 01100001 01110010 00100000 01010010 01100001 01100100 01101001 01100001 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)S o l a r   R a d i a t i o n |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0053 006F 006C 0061 0072 0052 0061 0064 0069 0061 0074 0069 006F 006E |
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)53817867842526770756786758180 |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Commercial 4. Images: Photo Album | 5. Expressions 6. Expressions: Internet 7. Translations: Modern 8. Anagrams | 9. Orthography 10. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
