The knowledge of the absorber surface temperature distribution is essential for efficient operation and further development of solar thermal high temperature receivers. However the concentrated solar radiation makes it difficult to determine the temperature on irradiated surfaces. Contact thermometry is not appropriate and pyrometric measurements are distorted by the reflected solar radiation. The measurement in solar-blind spectral ranges offers a possible solution by eliminating the reflected solar radiation from the measurement signal. The paper shows that besides the incoming solar radiation and the absorber emittance, the bi-directional reflection properties and the temperature of the object are determining for the required selectivity of the spectral filter Atmospheric absorption affects the solar blind pyrometric measurements in absorption bands of CO2 and water vapor The deviation of temperature measurement due to atmospheric absorption is quantified and the possibilities and limitations of accounting for the atmospheric absorption with models based on radiation transfer calculations are discussed.