The
solar constant, a measure of
flux density, is the conventional name for the mean
solar electromagnetic radiation (the solar irradiance) per unit area that would be incident on a plane perpendicular to the rays, at a distance of one
astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun (roughly the mean distance from the Sun to the Earth). The solar constant includes all types of
solar radiation, not just the
visible light. It is measured by satellite as being 1.361
kilowatts per square meter (kW/m²) at solar minimum and approximately 0.1% greater (roughly 1.362 kW/m²) at solar maximum. The solar "constant" is not a
physical constant in the modern
CODATA scientific sense; it varies in value, and has been called a "misconception". It has been shown to vary historically in the past 400 years over a range of less than 0.2 percent.