What this calculator does
Wien's displacement law works out peak emission wavelength of a blackbody at a given temperature. Enter your own figures above and the answer updates as you type: nothing is fixed in the code, so the result reflects exactly the numbers you supply.
The formula this calculator evaluates is printed under the tool and explained below, so you can check the working by hand or reuse it in a spreadsheet.
The formula
Formulaλmax = b/T, b = 2.897771955×10⁻³ m·K
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Temperature (K) | A number, measured in K. Starts at 5778. |
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How the answer changes with temperature
Every other input is held at the calculator’s starting values while temperature varies. Select any row to load that scenario into the calculator.
How the answer changes with temperature
| Temperature (K) | Peak wavelength | Peak wavelength | Peak wavelength |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,889 | 1,003.036329 nm | 1.00303633 µm | 0.000001 m |
| 4,334 | 668.6137413 nm | 0.66861374 µm | 0.00000067 m |
| 5,778 | 501.5181646 nm | 0.50151816 µm | 0.0000005 m |
| 8,667 | 334.3454431 nm | 0.33434544 µm | 0.00000033 m |
| 11,556 | 250.7590823 nm | 0.25075908 µm | 0.00000025 m |
| 17,334 | 167.1727215 nm | 0.16717272 µm | 0.00000017 m |