Article
Article
Albedo
Article By:
Veverka, Joseph Laboratory for Planetary Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Goguen, Jay Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Pasadena, California.
Last reviewed:August 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.020800
The efficiency of a surface in reflecting light. White surfaces have albedos close to 1; black surfaces have albedos close to 0. Because this efficiency can vary with the direction to the light source, the direction to the observer, and the color (wavelength) of the light, there are several types of albedos in common use.
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