Properties of the Variability of the Solar Constant as an Index of Solar Activity

The properties of the solar constant variability are considered according to the results of satellite observations (http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/sorce/data/tsi-data/). The obtainment of satellite data with an accuracy of 0.01% that is devoid of atmospheric influence allows a detailed analysis of variations in this index of solar activity and space weather for solar-activity cycles 21-24. The use of wavelet analysis demonstrates the properties of the 11-year cycle in the variation of the solar constant. With the exclusion of variations of the 11-year cycle, it is possible to study short-period processes in each solar cycle. The variations in the solar constant demonstrate their own local spectrum of power periods, which differs from the activity periods according to sunspot observations. The most significant decrease in the solar constant occurs during the passage in the center of the solar disk of large groups of spots and activity complexes that block the solar constant. Thus, the basic properties of the intrinsic variability of the solar constant differ from the properties of the magnetic cycle.