[ELI5] Would something stay hot in the space forever since there is nothing to transfer its heat?
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Heat transfer happens in 3 ways:
– conduction: from one surface to another
– convection: from movement of fluid
– radiation: heat transfer by EM radiation through space. can happen through a vacuum
The latter is responsible for heat transfer in open space.
So no, it would not stay hot forever due to radiation.
Heat transfer happens in 3 ways:
– conduction: from one surface to another
– convection: from movement of fluid
– radiation: heat transfer by EM radiation through space. can happen through a vacuum
The latter is responsible for heat transfer in open space.
So no, it would not stay hot forever due to radiation.
Heat can radiate through empty space (hence the warmth of the sun). Heat can also conduct through matter much faster, but it will still go through nothingness.
Experiment – put some hot water in a bottle, and some more in a vacuum thermos. The water in the thermos will cool much slower than the one in the bottle, but it will still cool .
Heat can radiate through empty space (hence the warmth of the sun). Heat can also conduct through matter much faster, but it will still go through nothingness.
Experiment – put some hot water in a bottle, and some more in a vacuum thermos. The water in the thermos will cool much slower than the one in the bottle, but it will still cool .
Think of space as a big thermal vacuum. It is so cold that heat is pulled away, much like ice in warm water, just as the reverse. If you could heat space to the degree the object is radiating energy then no dissipation would happen.
Think of space as a big thermal vacuum. It is so cold that heat is pulled away, much like ice in warm water, just as the reverse. If you could heat space to the degree the object is radiating energy then no dissipation would happen.
Absolutely not. You’re only thinking on conduction and convection. There is a third mode called radiation. It doesn’t transfer to the air – it goes right thru it. Have you ever stood in a house with a lot of floor to ceiling windows when it’s snowing outside? Even if it’s 70F inside you feel cold. This is because of radiation. Outer space is much worse. If the sun isn’t frying you, you will radiate your heat and become a popsicle quickly. Another place you have felt radiation is a campfire or outdoor heater. The air between you and the heater is cold but your skin is frying hot.
As an illustration to support the stuff other people are saying here:
If heat couldn’t travel through vacuum, we wouldn’t get any heat from the sun would we?
The same mechanism that allows the heat and light from the sun to get to the earth and heat it up works on anything else in space
Absolutely not. You’re only thinking on conduction and convection. There is a third mode called radiation. It doesn’t transfer to the air – it goes right thru it. Have you ever stood in a house with a lot of floor to ceiling windows when it’s snowing outside? Even if it’s 70F inside you feel cold. This is because of radiation. Outer space is much worse. If the sun isn’t frying you, you will radiate your heat and become a popsicle quickly. Another place you have felt radiation is a campfire or outdoor heater. The air between you and the heater is cold but your skin is frying hot.
As an illustration to support the stuff other people are saying here:
If heat couldn’t travel through vacuum, we wouldn’t get any heat from the sun would we?
The same mechanism that allows the heat and light from the sun to get to the earth and heat it up works on anything else in space
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