Grey-atmosphere convection onset with eighth-power temperature opacity (${\tau }_c=32/45$)

Take an ideal gas grey atmosphere with $T^4=T_e^4(3\tau +2)/4$, constant surface gravity of a star $g$, vanishing external pressure and $\kappa ={\kappa }_0{P}^{1/2}{T}^8$. Integrating hydrostatic equilibrium in optical depth gives $P^{3/2}=8g[1/2-(3\tau +2{)}^{-1}]/({\kappa }_0{T}_e^8)$. Its logarithmic temperature-pressure gradient is $9\tau /16$, so the Schwarzschild criterion for a monatomic gas is crossed at ${\tau }_c=32/45$. The radiative continuation beyond that depth is unstable and must be replaced by convective transport.