Very Interesting Astrofact

[cloudsweeper]

I picked up these OU and other astrobooks at a boot sale, and am enjoying dipping into them.  Came across this interesting data.

The luminosity (total power output) of the Sun is 3.83 x 10^26 W and its mass is 1.99 x 10^30kg.  So its power output PER UNIT MASS is 2 x 10^-4 W/kg.

Now a human mass is typically about 70kg, and heat output say 70W, giving a power output PER UNIT MASS of 1W/kg.

So despite the Sun's massive luminosity, when it is brought down to PER UNIT MASS,  human power output is about 5000 x that of the Sun!  

Doug.

 

[Gfamily]

Yes, another way of putting it is that the Sun's power per cubic metre is less than a well tended compost heap.

[mikeDnight]

Good find!

I've recently thrown a pile of OU books out for recycling, thinking no one would be interested. They were all science and mathematics based. What a dope!

[Louis D]

But the fact it can keep up the heat output for billions of years kind of makes up for its underachieving at any given moment. ?  I doubt any human or compost heap could keep up over the long run.

[cloudsweeper]

Joules per second per kilogram - not meant to be taken over billions of years.

Anyway, you should see my compost heap!  ?

Doug.