Abstract
We provide physics students and teachers with a simple technique for measuring the solar spectrum and a method for analyzing that spectrum through popular computer software. We discuss modern physics concepts related to blackbody radiation while modeling the sun's spectrum to determine the temperature of the sun's photosphere. We provide a reliable method to determine the sun's photospheric temperature with a typical error of less than 10%, primarily dependent on atmospheric conditions. The focus of this work is on data analysis, not acquisition.
Recommended Citation
Kerlin, Austin B.; DeSilva, L Ajith; Rose, Shea; and Hasbun, Javier E.
(2016)
"Calculating the Sun's Photospheric Temperature, an Undergraduate Physics Laboratory,"
Georgia Journal of Science, Vol. 74, No. 2, Article 13.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.gaacademy.org/gjs/vol74/iss2/13