The Moon and the Earth are, on average, the same distance from the Sun.
The Table shows some information about the Earth and the Moon.
Table
| Earth | Moon | |
|---|---|---|
| percentage of incoming radiation from the Sun that is reflected | 30% | 12% |
| atmosphere | contains greenhouse gases | no atmosphere |
| average surface temperature in ∘C^{\circ}\text{C}∘C | 15 | -20 |
Calculate the percentage of the incoming radiation from the Sun that is absorbed by the Moon.
A student says:
'The Moon absorbs a greater percentage of the radiation from the Sun than the Earth does, so the Moon should have a higher average surface temperature than the Earth.'
Explain why the Earth's average surface temperature is higher than the Moon's.
The surface of the Moon reaches about 120 ∘C120\ ^{\circ}\text{C}120 ∘C during the day and falls to about −170 ∘C-170\ ^{\circ}\text{C}−170 ∘C at night.
Explain, in terms of the power absorbed and the power radiated, why the temperature of the Moon's surface falls so much at night.
96 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 5.3 Black body radiation, covering 5.3.1 Emission of radiation and temperature, 5.3.2 Radiation balance and constant temperature, and 5.3.3 The temperature of the Earth. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.