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albedo

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | Â© A Dictionary of Astronomy 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

albedo The fraction of the total light or other radiation falling on a non-luminous body, such as a planet, or on a planetary surface feature, that is reflected from it. In general, the albedo is equal to the amount of light reflected divided by the amount of light received. Albedo values range from 0.0 (0%) for a totally black surface that absorbs all incident light, to 1.0 (100%) for a perfect reflector. Planets or planetary satellites with dense atmospheres have much higher albedos than those with transparent or no atmospheres. The albedo may vary over the surface, so for practical purposes an average albedo is specified. Natural surfaces reflect different amounts of light in different directions, and albedo can be expressed in several ways according to whether the measurement is made in one direction or averaged over all directions. See Bond Albedo; Geometrical Albedo; Hemispherical Albedo.

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