You are in a spacecraft orbiting a planet that has 3 layers of atmosphere (in the layer model). This planet has a power in per area of 600 W/m2. You have an infrared thermometer (one of those gun-shaped thermometers used to measure the temperature of a body without touching it). If you point your infrared thermometer at the planet, what temperature will it report? (Hint: you may wish to draw an energy flow diagram. What radiation reaches the thermometer?)

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Answer: Answer Below :)

Explanation: If you point your infrared thermometer at the planet, it will report the temperature of the top layer of the planet's atmosphere. This is because the infrared thermometer measures the infrared radiation emitted by the planet, and the top layer of the atmosphere is the layer that is in direct contact with the spacecraft and the thermometer.

To understand what temperature the thermometer will report, we need to consider the energy flow diagram. The planet receives energy from the Sun, and this energy is absorbed by the atmosphere and the surface of the planet. The absorbed energy is then re-radiated back into space as infrared radiation.

The power per area of the planet is given as 600 W/m2. This means that for every square meter of the planet's surface, there is an energy input of 600 Watts. However, this energy is not evenly distributed throughout the layers of the atmosphere.

As we move further away from the surface of the planet and towards the top layer of the atmosphere, the energy decreases. This is because the atmosphere absorbs and scatters some of the incoming energy, reducing the amount of energy that reaches the top layer.

Therefore, the temperature reported by the infrared thermometer will be lower than the actual temperature of the planet's surface. The exact temperature will depend on the specific properties of the atmosphere, such as its composition and density, which determine the amount of energy absorbed and scattered.

In summary, if you point your infrared thermometer at the planet, it will report the temperature of the top layer of the planet's atmosphere. This temperature will be lower than the actual temperature of the planet's surface due to the energy absorption and scattering by the atmosphere. The exact temperature reported will depend on the properties of the atmosphere.