How do scientists determine the tempeture of the sun?

Answer 1

One method, called Wien's law, uses the wavelength of the peak emission, in the Sun's continuous spectrum. The temperature in Kelvin = 2.9 × 106 nanometers/wavelengthpeak.

Another method uses the flux of energy reaching the Earth and the inverse square law. Flux is the amount of energy passing through a unit area (e.g., 1 meter2) every second. From the Inverse Square Law of Light Brightness, you find that the solar flux at the Earth's distance = the Sun's surface flux × (Sun's radius/Earth's distance)2 = 1380 Watts/meter2. Since the Sun's photosphere is approximately a thermal radiator, the flux of energy at its surface = sigma × (the Sun's surface temperature)4, where sigma is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant. Rearranging the equation, the photosphere's temperature = [(solar flux at Earth)/sigma) × (Earth distance/Sun's radius)2]1/4.

These two methods give a rough temperature for the Sun of about 5800 K. The upper layers of the photosphere are cooler and less dense than the deeper layters, so you see absorption lines in the solar spectrum. Which element absorption lines are present and their strength depends sensitively on the temperature. You can use the absorption line strengths as an accurate temperature probe to measure a temperature of about 5840 K.

Answer 2

well we can determine it from sun spectrum ,we can assume sun is a black body then we use stephen-boltzman formula that say E(total energy of black body=sun) =sigma * (T power 4).we can calculate total E from energy we recieve on Earth on 1 suare meter(pointing Vector)

Answer 3

They do it with an indirect method,they know that a particular colour is produced at only a particula temp,so by seeing the various colours on a spectrum analyser they predict the temp.

Answer 4

All I can say is ; Its not easy.