Abstract
This chapter discusses the physics of the sun, the nature of the radiant energy emanating from its surface, spectral distribution, and the total quantity of that energy arriving just outside the earth's atmosphere. The sun is the star closest to the earth, and its radiant energy is practically the only source of energy that influences atmospheric motions and our climate. The sun is a completely gaseous body composed mainly of hydrogen. The spectral distribution of radiation arriving on the surface of the earth is indeed a function of its extraterrestrial distribution and the atmospheric constituents. The solar constant is the rate of total solar energy at all wavelengths incident on a unit area, exposed normally to rays of the sun at one astronomical unit. The temperature of the sun is calculated from two types of information: the solar constant and its spectral distribution. The chapter describes more recent values of the solar constant and its spectral distribution.
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