The solar luminosity is the total power output of the Sun radiated to space. Solar irradiance, in contrast, is the total power per unit area at a distance of 1 AU (see Solar constant). Luminosity is determined empirically by measuring the total solar irradiance by spacecraft using sensors that absorb radiation over most of the electromagnetic spectrum, from x-rays to radio wavelengths; it has been accurately monitored in this way for less than two decades. Knowing the total solar irradiance and the mean Earth—Sun distance, the luminosity can be determined. The recently determined mean value of irradiance from the Solar Maximum mission satellite (1980–1989) is about 1368 W m−2, although there are short-term fluctuations (Fröhlich et al. 1991). This translates into a solar luminosity of 3.85 × 1026 W (or 3.85 × 1033 erg s−1). The largest uncertainty (about 0.3%) is due to disagreements between the measurements of different satellite detectors (Mechikunnel et al., 1988; see Solar constant)....
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Chapman, G.A. (1997). Solar luminosity . In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4520-4_374
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4520-4_374
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