Consider the following statements:

1. The albedo of an object determines its visual brightness when viewed with reflected light.
2. The albedo of Mercury is much greater than the albedo of the Earth.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect

• Albedo refers to the reflecting power of a surface and determines how bright an object appears when viewed in reflected light. Hence, statement 1 is correct. However, Mercury has a relatively low albedo because of its dark, rocky surface, whereas Earth has a higher albedo due to clouds, ice, and atmospheric reflection.

Answer: (a) 1 only