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
Word origin
C19: from Church Latin: whiteness, from Latin albus white
albedo in American English
(ælˈbidoʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralalˈbedos or alˈbedoes
1. Astronomy
the reflecting power of a planet, satellite, or asteroid, expressed as a ratio of reflected light to the total amount falling on the surface
2. Physics
the degree to which a surface reflects subnuclear particles, esp. neutrons, that strike it: expressed as the ratio of the number of particles that leave the surface in anydirection to the number that strike it
Word origin
LL(Ec), whiteness < L albus, white: see elf
Examples of 'albedo' in a sentence
albedo
But the albedo readings said there was a big berg somewhere around there, and so the Tonopah Maru was there too.