Thinking in terms of heat absorption, wouldn’t black or darker colours be more appropriate, or at those temperatures would such an effect be too minimal to even consider?
Is it therefore for visibility, or is it just the colour of the uniform of the researchers/scientists?
Many thanks! <3
In: 809
Others have mentioned color for visibility, but to the other part of your question: Absorption and emissivity are related such that things that absorb a wide range of light (e.g. dark clothing) tend to also radiate heat better than a highly-reflective material. This is part of why radiators and heatsinks tend to be coated black rather than left as bare shiny metal; the black finish radiates heat away. The night/dark is generally colder, so it’s more important to prioritize nighttime insulation.
Tl;dr if anything, the antarctic gear should be silvered to minimize its thermal radiation at night, rather than black to maximize daytime heat absorption.
Latest Answers