Why is the “space” between the sun and earth cold?

[sangha]

You are clo9ser to the truth than Old Rocks, but I will be nicer to you because you do not claim any expertise in science.

The temperature of space between the Earth and the Sun is warmer that the space between Mars and the Sun. The reason the Earth is warmer than the space surrounding it is because the Earth is denser, and has a layer that serves as a blanket to insulate it from the colder space. Additionally, the Earth is warmed internally, which has a small, but significant, effect on the temperature.

The very fact that heat moves through space at all proves it is not a vacuum, because a perfect vacuum would be perfect insulation.

uberfail. no way!

He's thinking about the sun's energy moving as heat, which requires mass. But the sun's energy moves as just that - electromagnetic energy. Which moves through a vacuum and isn't converted to heat until it encounters mass.

Think we've all confused the poor OP sufficiently yet?

The heat from the sun is not converted from electromagnetic energy. It is generated from photons hitting matter.

 

[sangha]

He's thinking about the sun's energy moving as heat, which requires mass. But the sun's energy moves as just that - electromagnetic energy. Which moves through a vacuum and isn't converted to heat until it encounters mass.

Think we've all confused the poor OP sufficiently yet?

I wouldn't assume that.

Solar winds are energy. That makes sense.

The solar wind isn't the same thing as the solar radiation (energy) that causes heat.

Solar radiation: Solar Radiation | Universe Today

Solar wind: NASA/Marshall Solar Physics

Here's the NASA "space weather center" site with links to all kinds of information on solar probes, solar wind collection, space weather forecasting and other cool stuff: NASA's Cosmicopia -- Sun -- Solar Wind

Which has nothing to do with the OP but I get a kick out of it.

That first link makes no sense to me. First it describes solar radiation as electromagnetic energy. Then it describes it as "light".

Electromagnetic energy is caused by imbalances in the # of protons and electrons, and the attraction that unbalanced particles have for other, oppositly unbalanced, particles. Light is made up of photons.

Apples and oranges, as I understand it

 

[goldcatt]

I wouldn't assume that.

Solar winds are energy. That makes sense.

The solar wind isn't the same thing as the solar radiation (energy) that causes heat.

Solar radiation: Solar Radiation | Universe Today

Solar wind: NASA/Marshall Solar Physics

Here's the NASA "space weather center" site with links to all kinds of information on solar probes, solar wind collection, space weather forecasting and other cool stuff: NASA's Cosmicopia -- Sun -- Solar Wind

Which has nothing to do with the OP but I get a kick out of it.

That first link makes no sense to me. First it describes solar radiation as electromagnetic energy. Then it describes it as "light".

Electromagnetic energy is caused by imbalances in the # of protons and electrons, and the attraction that unbalanced particles have for other, oppositly unbalanced, particles. Light is made up of photons.

Apples and oranges, as I understand it

What do you think electromagnetic radiation is? The waves that make up the electromagnetic spectrum.

Fusion in the Sun's core produces primarily Gamma rays, but since it takes a couple hundred thousand years for the energy to work its way out they are mostly decayed by the time they are emitted. So what it sends out and what we receive is UV, IR and...visible light. UV is primarily either reflected or absorbed in the stratosphere and re-emitted as heat, the balance mostly goes through the process at the surface. The basic premise isn't too difficult if you just step back and try not to confuse yourself.

 

[jimbetty123]

If you have a gas, which is, say, in an aerosol, says the contain you’re going to spray into your armpit with your deodorant, there’s a gas under pressure in there. When you spray it in your armpit, it feels very, very cold. What’s happened? Well the gas has expanded. I thought about simply if you imagine there’s some kind of piston, inside the aerosol can, when the gas expanded it effectively pushed on the piston, it’s done some work, let’s say. If something has does some work, it must have less energy, after it’s done the work than before it did the work. Since temperature is proportional to the energy in the particles, if somebody’s got less energy, is therefore going to lower the temperature so the temperature must fall and that’s why we think that when a gas expands, the temperature goes down.

 

[editec]

This might help

There are two basic ways that energy can be transferred from one place to another through the heat flow process - radiation and conduction.

Radiation is a type of energy that can travel through space. It doesn't need matter to conduct it from place to place. It can travel through a vacuum, no trouble. It can also travel through air, no trouble.

When you stand near hot molten lava, the heat you feel on your skin is mostly radiant heat. This type of heat doesn't need air to travel through. Even if you were standing in a vacuum (no air) you would feel the heat (except you'd be unconscious, or worse, from lack of air).

Almost all of the energy from the sun that travels 93 million miles in 8 and 1/2 minutes through the vacuum of space is radiant energy. When you stand outside on a sunny day feeling the warm rays, remember that only 8 and 1/2 minutes ago it left the sun. Scientists call it electromagnetic radiation. Infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light are examples of electromagnetic radiation that can transfer energy from one object to another object. ​

source​

 

[antagon]

You are clo9ser to the truth than Old Rocks, but I will be nicer to you because you do not claim any expertise in science.

The temperature of space between the Earth and the Sun is warmer that the space between Mars and the Sun. The reason the Earth is warmer than the space surrounding it is because the Earth is denser, and has a layer that serves as a blanket to insulate it from the colder space. Additionally, the Earth is warmed internally, which has a small, but significant, effect on the temperature.

The very fact that heat moves through space at all proves it is not a vacuum, because a perfect vacuum would be perfect insulation.

uberfail. no way!

He's thinking about the sun's energy moving as heat, which requires mass. But the sun's energy moves as just that - electromagnetic energy. Which moves through a vacuum and isn't converted to heat until it encounters mass.

Think we've all confused the poor OP sufficiently yet?

i know, the poor kid, he thought the matter was settled. we'd be right screwed if the 'spacemosphere' had to conduct heat all the way from the sun.

 

[antagon]

I wouldn't assume that.

Solar winds are energy. That makes sense.

The solar wind isn't the same thing as the solar radiation (energy) that causes heat.

Solar radiation: Solar Radiation | Universe Today

Solar wind: NASA/Marshall Solar Physics

Here's the NASA "space weather center" site with links to all kinds of information on solar probes, solar wind collection, space weather forecasting and other cool stuff: NASA's Cosmicopia -- Sun -- Solar Wind

Which has nothing to do with the OP but I get a kick out of it.

That first link makes no sense to me. First it describes solar radiation as electromagnetic energy. Then it describes it as "light".

Electromagnetic energy is caused by imbalances in the # of protons and electrons, and the attraction that unbalanced particles have for other, oppositly unbalanced, particles. Light is made up of photons.

Apples and oranges, as I understand it

more of an all of the above scenario. remember that only wavelength diversifies light from other electromagnetic radiation, so photons, which comprise all EM radiation, including light, are the elementary particles emitted by the sun and responsible for heat (an even lower wavelength of radiation). photons carry all electro/weak forces.

 

[editec]

Hmmmm...it fairly apparent that SCIENCE EDUCATION in the USA is pretty abysmal.

Judging from the website I went to to get my data, I'd say that knowing how the sun's energy gets to the earth is maybe 8th grade level science.

So what we have here is evidence that many of the same people who INSIST that they know better than the majority of the world's leading climaologists what is going on with the earth's climate have also proven that they don't have a clue about facts that are basically elementary-school science.

I weap for the future of democracy.

 

[mudwhistle]

uberfail. no way!

He's thinking about the sun's energy moving as heat, which requires mass. But the sun's energy moves as just that - electromagnetic energy. Which moves through a vacuum and isn't converted to heat until it encounters mass.

Think we've all confused the poor OP sufficiently yet?

Yes, the proper answer was always: Because God says so!

Forget politics and partisanship.

This is about science and the way the universe works.

 

[mudwhistle]

Hmmmm...it fairly apparent that SCIENCE EDUCATION in the USA is pretty abysmal.

Judging from the website I went to to get my data, I'd say that knowing how the sun's energy gets to the earth is maybe 8th grade level science.

So what we have here is evidence that many of the same people who INSIST that they know better than the majority of the world's leading climaologists what is going on with the earth's climate have also proven that they don't have a clue about facts that are basically elementary-school science.

I weap for the future of democracy.

Isn't it spelled "Weep"??

Well....some of us haven't been in 8th grade for a while. [I'm speaking for myself]

 

[Mad Scientist]

I can't believe rdean hasn't come in here and given us a display of his genius.

 

[goldcatt]

Hmmmm...it fairly apparent that SCIENCE EDUCATION in the USA is pretty abysmal.

Judging from the website I went to to get my data, I'd say that knowing how the sun's energy gets to the earth is maybe 8th grade level science.

So what we have here is evidence that many of the same people who INSIST that they know better than the majority of the world's leading climaologists what is going on with the earth's climate have also proven that they don't have a clue about facts that are basically elementary-school science.

I weap for the future of democracy.

Isn't it spelled "Weep"??

Well....some of us haven't been in 8th grade for a while. [I'm speaking for myself]

Hey, I'll be honest. I never had this in school that I can remember. But it's really interesting stuff, and that's what they have things like books for.

 

[editec]

Hmmmm...it fairly apparent that SCIENCE EDUCATION in the USA is pretty abysmal.

Judging from the website I went to to get my data, I'd say that knowing how the sun's energy gets to the earth is maybe 8th grade level science.

So what we have here is evidence that many of the same people who INSIST that they know better than the majority of the world's leading climaologists what is going on with the earth's climate have also proven that they don't have a clue about facts that are basically elementary-school science.

I weap for the future of democracy.

Isn't it spelled "Weep"??

Well....some of us haven't been in 8th grade for a while. [I'm speaking for myself]

LOL! Ya got me, MudW.

A perfect example that proves the old adage that one is bound to

WEEP what you sow​

 

[sangha]

Thanks to everyone for responding to my confusion. I did a little googling and learned that photons ARE EM, specifically, the quantum unit of EM energy.

I did not know that

The universe is a freaky place

 

[rdean]

.

 

[rdean]

This is a science question, and only 6% of scientists are Republicans.

LINK

Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media: Section 4: Scientists, Politics and Religion - Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

An overwhelming majority of scientists say they have heard a lot (55%) or a little (30%) about claims that the Bush administration did not allow government scientists to report findings that contradicted administration policy. By contrast, just 10% of the public heard a lot about the claims and 34% heard a little; most say they have heard nothing at all about it.

About three-quarters of scientists (77%) believe the claims about the Bush administration are true, while just 6% say they are false. And virtually all of the scientists who say these claims are true – 71% of scientists overall – believe that these practices occurred more often during the Bush administration than during previous administrations.

Most scientists identify as Democrats (55%), while 32% identify as independents and just 6% say they are Republicans. When the leanings of independents are considered, fully 81% identify as Democrats or lean to the Democratic Party, compared with 12% who either identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP.

You Are !

 

[Urbanguerrilla]

Heat or cold is a property of matter. If the atoms are within the matter are moving fast, it is hot. If moving very slow, the matter is cold. Space is a vacuum, nothing. A vacuum or nothing, cannot have the property of being either hot or cold.

Is that strictly true? What about dark matter which is what scientists believe makes up most of the matter in the universe?

 

[Bfgrn]

This may be an elementary question but I cannot find a straight answer out there. Yes, I am seriously asking – no tricks.
How does the suns heat transfer to earth while the space it transfers through is colder than the surface of earth?

Danke und Tschüß!

The simplest explanation is a lack of atmosphere, so there is nothing to absorb the heat.

 

[goldcatt]

Thanks to everyone for responding to my confusion. I did a little googling and learned that photons ARE EM, specifically, the quantum unit of EM energy.

I did not know that

The universe is a freaky place

Freaky, sometimes confusing....but really cool.

 

[HUGGY]

^^^This.

The sun's energy moves through space, but if there's no matter for it to be transferred to energy itself has no temperature.

Space isn't a total vacuum, but it's close enough that the sun's energy can't really "heat it up" the way it does, say, the Earth's atmosphere. In other words it's not about the sun, it's about what its energy is or isn't hitting.

You are clo9ser to the truth than Old Rocks, but I will be nicer to you because you do not claim any expertise in science.

The temperature of space between the Earth and the Sun is warmer that the space between Mars and the Sun. The reason the Earth is warmer than the space surrounding it is because the Earth is denser, and has a layer that serves as a blanket to insulate it from the colder space. Additionally, the Earth is warmed internally, which has a small, but significant, effect on the temperature.

The very fact that heat moves through space at all proves it is not a vacuum, because a perfect vacuum would be perfect insulation.

Funny little fact.....the closer you get to a vacuum the lower the boiling temperature of water. Try pulling a vacuum on a half full jar of water and you can get it to boil at room temp. I believe this is why your blood boils when you enter space without a pressurized suit.

PudWhistler...you are an idiot. The "boiling" you are refering to is not HOT or any warmer than the ambient temperature within your partial vacume example.