Eli5: How is it possible that deserts are super hot at day time and below freezing point at night time?
In: Earth Science
This is actually the default for most things in space. When you’re facing a star you’re blasted with radiation, and when you’re facing the void your heat quickly escapes into it.
On earth we have a humid atmosphere, groundwater and biomass that all hold onto heat very well. It’s like we have a sweater made of water and life on us that helps keep in the heat while we’re in the sun’s shadow at night. Deserts have little water, dry air and less life. With this thin sweater they get cold fast, and also have less protection from the direct heating of the sun during the day. They’re basically a little closer to a planet like Mars than most places on Earth.
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