Wien's Displacement Law

Also known as peak wavelength of a hot body

λmax=bT\lambda_{max} = \frac{b}{T}

Enter your known values, leave one input blank, and solves for the missing one. Try different units for next level excitement!

Learning zone

Everything glows with a spectrum whose peak slides to shorter wavelengths as it heats: multiply peak wavelength by temperature and you always get b = 2.898 mm·K. The Sun's 5772 K surface peaks at 502 nm — green light, dead center of human vision, no coincidence of evolution. Your own 310 K body peaks at 9.3 μm, the mid-infrared band thermal cameras watch. Astronomers read a star's temperature straight off its color with this one division.

Wien's Displacement Law
λmax=bT\lambda_{max} = \frac{b}{T}
Where
  • λmax\lambda_{max}= Peak wavelength
  • TT= Absolute temperature
Missing one of these? Work it out first, then come back