Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
radiant energy
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
coast redwoods A flowchart diagram shows the average exchange of energy between Earth's surface, atmosphere, and space as percentages of incoming solar radiation, with arrows and labeled percentages illustrating how solar energy is absorbed, reflected, scattered, or emitted by clouds, the atmosphere, and the surface. Color-coded circles and boxes represent different forms of energy transfer, including solar radiation, longwave radiation, and non-radiative exchanges, highlighting the complexity of Earth's clima
Quizzes
Electric power lines against sunset (grid, power, wires, electrical, electricity)
Energy & Fossil Fuels
Quick Facts
Key People:
James David Forbes
Balfour Stewart
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
coast redwoods
coast redwoods Light filtering through the branches of coast redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) at Muir Woods National Monument, Marin county, California.

radiant energy

physics
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

radiant energy, energy that is transferred by electromagnetic radiation, such as light, X-rays, gamma rays, and thermal radiation, which may be described in terms of either discrete packets of energy, called photons, or continuous electromagnetic waves. The conservation of energy law requires that the radiant energy absorbed or emitted by a system be included in the total energy.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.