The Earth gets sunlight. Some of it bounces back, but a lot gets absorbed. This causes warming. If the Earth behaved like a simple "black body", it would be much colder than it currently is. Why's it not that cold? Let's dive in!

• Average intensity at the Earth's surface = 238W/m² (That's like 238 watt light bulbs on each square meter!)
• Using Stefan–Boltzmann law (no, Stefan and Boltzmann weren't rockstars, though their law rocks!)
  • Formula: I ntensity = eσT⁴
  • Plugging in numbers: 238=0.9×5.67×10−8×T4
  • Temperature (T) is found to be 261K (or -12°C). Brrr! ❄️

• -12°C is almost the average temperature of the Moon's surface.
• BUT the Moon reflects more sunlight due to its higher albedo. Imagine the Moon wearing lighter clothing on a sunny day!

• Our Earth should technically be -12°C, but it's around 27K (or 27°C) hotter.
• Why? Because our atmosphere isn't a simple clear window; it's more like colorful stained glass!