  Transverse energy ($E_T$) distributions have been measured for Au+Au
collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}= 200$ GeV by the STAR collaboration at RHIC. $E_T$
is constructed from its hadronic and electromagnetic components, which have
been measured separately. $E_T$ production for the most central collisions is
well described by several theoretical models whose common feature is large
energy density achieved early in the fireball evolution. The magnitude and
centrality dependence of $E_T$ per charged particle agrees well with
measurements at lower collision energy, indicating that the growth in $E_T$ for
larger collision energy results from the growth in particle production. The
electromagnetic fraction of the total $E_T$ is consistent with a final state
dominated by mesons and independent of centrality.
