PES » Global Warming » Radiation from the Sun and Earth
	Practice Questions Movie Transcript The sun and earth both emit electromagnetic radiation. This movie will help you describe the differences between the types of radiation emitted by the sun and the earth. Electromagnetic radiation is energy that travels in the form of electromagnetic waves. Different types of electromagnetic waves carry different amounts of energy. The shorter the wavelength, the more energy carried by the wave. The wavelength of emitted radiation is determined by the temperature of the object it comes from. The higher the temperature, the shorter the wavelength of emitted radiation. The sun, with its high surface temperature, emits a great deal of high energy, short wavelength radiation. Energy emitted by the sun is also referred to as solar, or shortwave, radiation. Most of solar radiation is the visible light we see with our eyes, but it also includes wavelengths that we cannot see, like the ultraviolet light that causes sunburn. The Earth, however, being much cooler than the sun, emits lower energy, longer wavelength radiation. Energy emitted by the earth is also referred to as terrestrial, which means land-based, or longwave radiation. Although we cannot see longwave radiation with our eyes, we detect is as heat. In summary, the types of radiation emitted by the sun and the earth is determined by their temperatures. The sun, which is very hot, emits high energy, shortwave radiation, while the earth, which is much cooler, emits lower energy, long wave radiation.		forward: Earth’s Energy Balance back: Introduction browse: Table of Contents
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