albedo

American  

[al-bee-doh] / ælˈbi doʊ /

noun

albedos plural

1. Astronomy. the ratio of the light reflected by a planet or satellite to that received by it.

2. Meteorology. such a ratio for any part of the earth's surface or atmosphere.

3. pith.

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albedo British  

/ ælˈbiːdəʊ /

noun

1. the ratio of the intensity of light reflected from an object, such as a planet, to that of the light it receives from the sun

2. physics the probability that a neutron passing through a surface will return through that surface

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albedo Scientific  

/ ăl-bē′dō /

1. The fraction of the total light striking a surface that gets reflected from that surface. An object that has a high albedo (near 1) is very bright; an object that has a low albedo (near 0) is dark. The Earth's albedo is about 0.37. The Moon's is about 0.12.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• albedos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of albedo

First recorded in 1855–60; from Late Latin albēdō “white (color), whiteness,” equivalent to alb(us) “white” + -ēdō noun suffix; cf. torpedo

Explanation

Albedo refers to how reflective and bright something is. Snow has a high albedo, which is why skiers wear sunglasses and sunscreen. Technically speaking, the albedo of an object is a ratio. It compares the amount of light hitting the surface of the object to the amount of light that gets reflected back. The more light reflected, the higher the albedo. Scientists often use this word in reference to the surfaces of planets and other reflective objects in the night sky. Albedo comes from a Latin word for “white.”

Example Sentences

Albedo, Mr. Haddad added, was nonetheless taking administrative steps to address a wide range of privacy concerns.

From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2024

This phenomenon is known as the Albedo effect, and it occurs because light surfaces reflect more heat then dark surfaces.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2021

Albedo and reflection spectra of extrasolar giant planets.

From Nature • May 6, 2018

When the MV Albedo began to sink “these guys jumped into the waters and rescued the drowning crew”, Steed said.

From The Guardian • Oct. 22, 2016

Albedo is a measure of the reflectivity of a surface.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015