The wavelength
distributions of the radiation emitted by the sun and the
earth are very different, because the sun is so much
hotter than the earth.
The
Planck functions for temperatures
characteristic of
the sun and the earth. The
peak wavelength of the sunÕs
distribution is at about 0.5
microns (green light), while
the peak wavelength for
the earthÕs distribution is at
about 10 microns (infrared
radiation).