Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/iii/paper-315/4/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 315 4 b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Take an unresolved spherical planet at Euclidean distance , with uniform surface temperature , stationary isotropic emission, and no intervening extinction. Isothermality does not by itself imply blackbody radiation; first derive the geometric result for a uniform emergent specific intensity .
The observer sees the projected disc with apparent solid angle . Integrating its specific intensity over that angle gives the observed spectral radiative fluxwhere is the small angle to the detector normal. For a blackbody, , and the Stefan–Boltzmann law gives . HenceEquivalently, the surface radiative flux is and the luminosity of a spherical blackbody is , leading to the same result by inverse-square dilution. A uniform wavelength-dependent emissivity multiplies the spectral formula; an atmospheric spectrum can require a full angular radiative transfer integral rather than a single Planck function.
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