Wien's law uses a constant of 3 million nanometer kelvins. A star radiates most strongly at 500 nanometers. What is its surface temperature?

1. Wien's law links the peak wavelength of a glowing body to its temperature. 2. The peak wavelength equals the constant divided by the temperature. 3. Rearranged, the temperature equals the constant divided by the peak wavelength. 4. So divide 3,000,000 nanometer kelvins by 500 nanometers. 5. That gives 6000 kelvin as the surface temperature. 6. Answering 1500 K divides by 2000 nanometers rather than by 500. 7. Answering 600 K slips a factor of ten in the division. 8. Answering 3000 K quotes half the constant instead of completing the division. _Source: OpenStax Astronomy (CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 "Earth, Moon, and Sky" and Ch 5 "Radiation and Spectra", section 5.2 The Electromagnetic Spectrum_