solar constant: Meaning and Definition of

so'lar con'stant

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. the average rate at which radiant energy is received from the sun by the earth, equal to 1.94 small calories per minute per square centimeter of area perpendicular to the sun's rays, measured at a point outside the earth's atmosphere when the earth is at its mean distance from the sun.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.