Planet Albedo Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the planet albedo calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

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Formulas Used

Bond Albedo

albedo = reflected_flux / incident_flux

Absorbed Fraction

absorbed_fraction = 1 - reflected_flux / incident_flux

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
reflected_fluxReflected Flux(W/m2)100
incident_fluxIncident Flux(W/m2)1361

How It Works

Planet Albedo

Albedo quantifies how reflective a planet is. A value of 0 means all light is absorbed; 1 means all is reflected.

Formula

A = F_reflected / F_incident

The absorbed fraction is (1 - A), which determines how much stellar energy heats the planet.

Worked Example

Earth reflects about 100 W/m2 out of 1361 W/m2 incident.

reflected_flux = 100incident_flux = 1361
  1. 01A = F_reflected / F_incident
  2. 02A = 100 / 1361
  3. 03A = 0.0735
  4. 04This is geometric albedo at one angle; Bond albedo integrated over all angles is about 0.30

Ready to run the numbers?

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