太阳常数是进入地球大气的太阳辐射在单位面积内的总量，要在地球大气层之外，垂直于入射光的平面上测量。以人造卫星测得的数值是每平方公尺大约1366瓦特，地球的截面积是127,400,000 平方公里，因此整个地球接收到的能量是1.740×10瓦特。由于太阳表面常有有黑子等太阳活动的缘故，太阳常数并不是固定不变的，一年当中的变化幅度在1%左右。

太阳常数包括所有形式的太阳辐射，不是只有可见光的范围(更详细的内容可以参考电磁频谱)，它可以联系到太阳的视星等是-26.8等。太阳常数和太阳的视星等是描述太阳亮度的两种方法，但是视星等只有测量太阳在可见光部分的能量输出。

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.