points by robotresearcher 2 days ago | 0 comments
That’s all true. But stuff in space has a temperature, and once I’d been dead a while in LEO, mine would be -18C.
[–] overfeed 2 days ago
[–] robotresearcher 2 days ago
Sure it varies a bit. ISS average skin temp is 10C, for example.
The total available energy from the sun in LEO averages about 1.36KW/m^2, and more than this is radiated away by current deployed technology.
[–] overfeed 2 days ago
> Sure it varies a bit
No, not just a bit. It varies by hundreds of degrees depending on the materials α/ε ratio.
Your mental model is off: materials that good absorbers but poor emitters will get very hot, and the flip-side stay cool, and are used to make the cooling elements in the ISS . The temperature of ball of black nickel at 1 AU will settle at balmy 239C - not -18C. Polished Aluminum -> roughly 145C.
[–] robotresearcher 2 days ago
I’ve made a note not to make my space data center a black nickel sphere, and instead to make it like we generally make satellites.
My nickel guy is gonna be so disappointed.
I do understand the correction, so thank you. Doesn’t change my point at all, and I fear we are talking past each other so I’ll call it a day.
FYI; that's not how it works, you and the rock you mentioned in an earlier comment cannot have the same temperature of -18C. This is due to differences in material, and geometry to a lesser extent.
Even if you were rock-shaped, the rates of energy absorption and radiation is what determines your remains' temperature, this ratio differs for different materials, and thus difference fiilnal temperatures.