If getting closer to the sun means it’s gets hotter, would there be a point in space where temperatures would be earthlike?
In: Planetary Science
Not really, because Earth’s atmosphere does a lot of “smoothing out” of the temperature. Outside of the atmosphere, even just at Earth’s distance, being in sunlight is very hot. The outside of the ISS reaches some 250°F on the side facing the Sun. On the other hand, facing *away* from the Sun is incredibly cold. Rather, there’s nothing insulating you. The dark side of the ISS gets down to some -250°F.
The atmosphere of the Earth reflects a lot of sunlight away and absorbs a ton of the energy before it reaches you. Then, when you’re on the night side, that absorbed energy continues to radiate down (and up from the ground) so that you stay relatively warm. Basically, all of the atmosphere and mass of the Earth protects us from the extremes and keeps us an *average* that is comfortable, and the greenhouse effect bumps that average up to what it is today (59°F). AFAIK, the average outside temp of the ISS is slightly lower.
The question also depends greatly on how reflective you are. If you’re covered in mirrors, you’ll absorb less energy and be cooler. If you’re wearing a suit of vantablack, you’ll absorb way more and be hotter.
So, there’s no single answer, here. Earth is earthlike because of many factors, not just its distance from the Sun – which, contrary to the popular myth, varies quite a bit over even a single year because the orbit is elliptical. There is no single magical sweet spot.
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