[SPACE] Tidal braking

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Artifact

So what is the correct way to calculate the combined Blackbody T?

The simple technique is to figure the blackbody T for the primary star, using the planet's mean orbital radius; figure the blackbody T for the distant star, using the mean separation between the stars as the "orbital radius"; raise both temperatures to the fourth power; add them; and take the fourth root. This won't account for fluctuations resulting from changes in separation as the planet orbits its star and the two stars orbit each other, but those fluctuations will usually be only a fraction of the mean temperature.

If you want to verify, you can try taking the minimum and maximum separations (minimum stellar separation minus maximum planetary orbital radius; maximum stellar separation plus maximum planetary orbital radius) and seeing whether using them in figuring the blackbody T for the distant star makes a noticeable difference.

Bill Stoddard