Solar spectral irradiance at earth's TOA

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on reproducing the solar spectral irradiance at Earth's top of atmosphere (TOA) using the black-body radiation formula. The user encounters discrepancies between their calculated irradiance and the measurement data from the ASTMG173 standard. The formula used for radiance includes constants such as the speed of light, Planck's constant, and Boltzmann's constant, with the final irradiance calculated by multiplying radiance by the solid angle of the Sun as seen from Earth. The user questions the validity of adjusting the irradiance with a cosine factor based on Earth's spin inclination, indicating a need for clarification on the correct application of these calculations.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of black-body radiation principles
  • Familiarity with solar irradiance calculations
  • Knowledge of physical constants: speed of light, Planck's constant, Boltzmann's constant
  • Basic trigonometry for angle adjustments in irradiance calculations
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the derivation of the black-body radiation formula
  • Study the ASTMG173 solar spectral irradiance standard
  • Learn about solid angle calculations in astrophysics
  • Explore the impact of Earth's atmospheric conditions on solar irradiance measurements
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, physicists, and solar energy researchers seeking to understand and accurately model solar irradiance at Earth's top of atmosphere.

everetthitch
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I'm trying to reproduce a plot of Sun's black-body behavior like this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solar_Spectrum.png
Problem is, after I convert the black-body radiance to irradiance, its curve is way too high as compared with measurement. The measurement data is taken from:
http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/spectra/am1.5/ASTMG173/ASTMG173.html

The top of atmosphere (TOA) irradiance at Earth's distance is obtained in the following way:
radiance (W/m^2/nm/Sr) L=2*h*c^2/(lamda^5*exp(h*c/(kB*lamda*T)-1))
where:
c=3e8 m/s (speed of light)
h=6.625e-34 Joul Second (Planck's)
kB=1.38e-23 Joul/Kelvin (Boltzmann's)
omega=pi*r_sun^2/D_sun_earth^2 (Sun disk solid angle as seen from Earth)
r_sun=6.96e8 m (Sun's radius)
D_sun_earth=1.496e11 m (1AU)
Finally irradiance is E=L*omega (W/m^2/nm) (and one needs to multiply 1e9 to be in nm)

My curve is roughly twice above the measurement, so if I do:
E=L*omege*cos(67-deg)
I can get something close to the picture in the wiki link. This 67-deg is roughly Earth's spin inclination. However I really doubt multiplying cos(67-deg) makes sense, as we are talking about TOA irradiance, not anywhere on Earth surface.

What I'm missing here?

Thanks!
 
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try square root.
 
Chronos said:
try square root.

That doesn't work, making the spectrum broader, let alone w/o any physical meanings...
 

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