eli5: Why isn’t outer space hot (or at least not freezing)?

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The sun warms up our planet but space is cold. If I lit a candle and stood 20 feet away, I could see the light but not feel the warmth. So, why do we feel warmth from the sun but space isn’t warmed by it?

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48 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

There is nothing, or almost nothing to be hot, or cold. Space is for argument sake is
completely empty, so there is nothing to be hot or cold. Put your self in front of the sun and you ill get very hot because you are now something, you will absorb the suns radiation just like Earth does, put your self somewhere the sun is blocked and you will get very cold as you radiate heat away

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