points by robotresearcher 2 days ago | 0 comments
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
[–] 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.
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.