The Difference in Emission of Visible Light and Infrared Radiation between the Sun and the Earth,Why does the sun emit visible light, while the Earth emits infrared radiation?

The Difference in Emission of Visible Light and Infrared Radiation between the Sun and the Earth

The Sun and the Earth both emit radiation, but the difference between the two is the type of radiation emitted. The Sun emits visible light, while the Earth emits infrared radiation. This is due to the difference in temperature between the two. The Sun is much hotter than the Earth, with an estimated surface temperature of 5,778 K (Kelvin, or Celsius + 273) (NASA, 2019). This is due to the Sun’s immense amounts of energy being produced by nuclear fusion in its core (Kopp, 2016). This high temperature allows the Sun to emit visible light in the form of a spectrum, which is what we see when we look at the Sun. The Earth, on the other hand, is much cooler, with an estimated surface temperature of 287 K (NASA, 2019). This is due to the Earth’s vast distance from the Sun, and the fact that it is much smaller than the Sun. Because the Earth is much cooler than the Sun, the radiation it emits is in the form of infrared radiation, which is invisible to the human eye (Kopp, 2016). Cont…